Weekly Market Features

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
post

US

Mont Belvieu at a crossroads: price correction or persistent elevation? – Week 40 2025

Oct 06, 2025

2025 has been an atypical year for global energy markets, including LPG, with geopolitics increasingly steering supply–demand balances and, in turn, pricing outcomes. Mont Belvieu propane values have remained elevated versus recent years on a sustained basis [...]

Read More

Tariffs

How US–China Tariffs Reshaped Japan & South Korea’s LPG Supply and Demand – Week 39 2025

Sep 29, 2025

With the US-China trade tariffs being a dominant part of the LPG market in 2025, both Japan and S. Korea have been at the forefront as well as countries likely to “swap” US origin LPG cargoes for other non-US volume [...]

Read More

Petrochemicals

China’s propylene demand growth outpaces NGLS’s expectations for 2025 – Week 38 2025

Sep 22, 2025

For the propane market, one of the key indicators in recent years has been the operating levels of PDH plants in China. A sensitivity to the level of propylene production needed from PDH plants is the supply from other sources in China, such as refineries and steam crackers [...]

Read More

Shipping

USTR Fees: Implications for the VLGC Market – Week 37 2025

Sep 15, 2025

On 14 October, USTR Section 301 port-entry fees take effect on Chinese-owned/operated and Chinese-built vessels. While all shipping segments are affected, the VLGC market is particularly exposed: Chinese-owned/operated tonnage faces steep incremental costs in an already weak global LPG environment. We expect re-routings to mitigate these charges, prioritization of compliant ships, and efforts to avoid further volatility—while preserving export flows and schedule reliability wherever possible [...]

Read More

Production

North Sea LPG Production on a Downward Spiral – Week 36 2025

Sep 08, 2025

According to NGLStrategy analysis, total LPG production in Northern Europe was 20.5 mm t from gas plants in 2024. Total production has been in decline compared to levels seen at the start of the decade, with more volume of LPG remaining in the natural gas stream. Going forward, limited growth is expected with overall natural gas production forecast to decline [...]

Read More

Petrochemicals

Ethylene capacity shake-ups in the Far East – Week 35 2025

Sep 01, 2025

With overcapacity for ethylene continuing and difficult economics persistent for a number of petrochemical players in S. Korea, ten companies have agreed to restructure their operations which is likely to lead to a reduction in the total capacity for cracking naphtha [...]

Read More

Petrochemicals

Free to Read

Loss of LPG demand in petrochemicals – Week 32 2025

Aug 11, 2025

The economics of producing ethylene via steam cracking have been challenging for many petrochemical producers in recent years, a trend expected to persist amid continued overcapacity in both ethylene and propylene. In response, several companies have sought to curb losses by closing capacity or shifting feedstocks. NGLStrategy examines the implications of these moves for LPG use among major petrochemical players [...]

Read More

Middle East

Focus on a major LPG producer – Saudi Arabia – Week 31 2025

Aug 04, 2025

The most recent meeting of eight OPEC+ countries took place yesterday on the 3rd of August, including Saudi Arabia. For LPG, this is significant as Saudi Arabia currently produces a large volume from associated gas and hence any changes to crude oil production will directly impact the level of LPG available to the domestic market and the international market. It was announced that Saudi Arabia will target a crude oil production of 9.98 million barrels or crude oil per day in September, signifying the complete scale back of the 1 million barrels per day voluntary production cuts announced in 2023 [...]

Read More

Petrochemicals

US ethylene production & ethane consumption up in first half of 2025 – Week 30 2025

Jul 28, 2025

Although final figures are not yet out, it appears that US ethylene capacity utilisation has increased notably in the first half of 2025, and as a result ethane consumption is up by 3.5-4% compared to first half 2024. US ethylene production, NGLS estimates, has increased from around 18.8 mm t in first half 2024 to approaching 19.2 mm t in first half 2025. Although this is not a significant gain, it represents a move in the right direction for US producers [...]

Read More

Shipping

VLGC freight market outlook: volatility driven by geopolitics, fundamentals set to strengthen – Week 29 2025

Jul 21, 2025

VLGC freight markets were marked by significant volatility in the first half of 2025, with sharp fluctuations emerging from March onward, primarily due to geopolitical disruptions. This occurred despite only a moderate year-on-year increase in LPG export volumes, highlighting the outsized impact of risk premiums and logistical dislocations [...]

Read More

Petrochemicals

Cracker closures reshape Europe’s LPG cracking potential – Week 28 2025

Jul 14, 2025

The spate of ethylene plant closure announcements in Europe and current low cracker operating rates raises the question of what Europe’s future LPG cracking potential will be [...]

Read More

India

Free to Read

The start-up of the 2,805 km long LPG pipeline in India from West Coast to the Northeast of India – Week 27 2025

Jul 07, 2025

A new pipeline capable of transporting around 8.25 mm t of LPG has recently started commissioning in India and is expected to be fully operational later in 2025. The 2,800 kilometer long pipeline will run from Kandla on the west coast of India to Gorakhpur in the north. The pipeline is reported to directly link with 22 LPG bottling plants; 3 in Gujarat, 6 in Madhya Pradesh and 13 in Uttar Pradesh [...]

Read More
1 of 5