United States has withdrawn its LNG, while Australia and Canada are increasing their gas exports to Europe and America
The global LNG market is experiencing significant changes due to extreme weather conditions, supply disruptions, and the redistribution of fuel flows. According to vessel tracking data, at least three large LNG shipments loaded in Australia and Canada have deviated from their initially planned routes to Asia and are now heading to Europe and America. This is an unusual fact in the global LNG market and reflects deep changes in energy logistics.
The LNG carrier Julia Louise, from the Australian LNG project Gorgon, crossed the Indian Ocean after loading on January 23 and is now heading to the French port of Dunkirk, with an expected arrival date of February 19. This is the first major journey of Australian LNG to Europe since February 2025. A second ship, the Maran Gas Hector, also departing from Australia, has changed course towards America, while the Canadian Qingcheng, which was originally heading to East Asia, changed course on January 26 and is possibly now navigating through the Panama Canal towards Europe or North America.
The deviation in supply is due to the consequences of a powerful arctic storm that hit the United States, affecting Texas, the Midwest, and northeastern states. This weather system not only caused a sharp drop in natural gas production due to frozen wells and operational disruptions but also severely disrupted operations at LNG export terminals on the Gulf Coast. Due to the shortage of natural gas at the entrance to liquefaction facilities and the decrease in production, the total LNG export capacity from the United States has decreased.
