SUBSCRIBER NOTE: Launch of Panama route LNG freight from Trinidad to North Asia

Following market consultation, Platts has added a Panama Canal navigation option to freight route costs from Trinidad to Japan/ Korea, and to South China/Taiwan. These are published in Platts LNG Daily and on the Natural Gas Alert page 1025, from June 1, 2017.

The standard shipping assumptions apply to these freight costs. They are as follows; average speed 17 knots, vessel size 155,000-180,000 cu m, fillable volume of 98.5%, fuel oil consumption 100 mt/day of IFO380 CST and a boil-off gas factor of 0.12% when laden and 0.09% when on ballast. Heel will be calculated as 0.09% natural boil off while on ballast, multiplied by the number of days of the return leg plus 36 hours.

Platts currently estimates the cost of transiting via the Panama Canal at $0.18/MMBtu. The voyage from Trinidad to Futtsu is 22 days and to Guangdong Dapeng is 27 days.

Basis gas price for boil off and heel is calculated using the delivered price of LNG. For these 2 voyages it would be the JKM. Cost of charter is for the entire voyage, accounting for a round-trip and a three-day loading/delivery time, and dividing that cost by the total delivered cargo in MMBtu. The bunker fuel basis for these routes is Cartagena.

Please send all questions and feedback to wyatt.wong@spglobal.com and lng@platts.com and copy pricemethodology@spglobal.com