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NEWS INTELLIGENCE ARCHIVE
23 JUL 2026 THURSDAY
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Industry coalition SEA-LNG on Thursday (16 July) published its 2026 Mid-Year Market Review. It provides a snapshot of the current market conditions facing the methane pathway, with particular focus on the growth of liquefied biomethane (LBM/bio-LNG). This report comes as SEA-LNG celebrates its tenth anniversary and gains provisional consultative status at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). According to analysis of vessel orders from January to June 2026 from SEA-LNG member DNV, LNG dual-fuel orders remain robust at 73 vessels, accounting for almost 90% of the alternatively fuelled order book, when compared with ammonia, hydrogen and methanol. Additionally, there are now 67 LNG bunker vessels in operation, plus 42 more on order. The LNG order book continues to be dominated by vessels serving liner trades especially container vessels and pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs). This is consistent with recent analysis by the World Shipping Council which shows that LNG remains the preferred fuel for container ship owners, accounting for 58% of total tonnage ordered versus conventional fuels at 36%. There was also an increase in bunkering volumes and infrastructure. According to analysis by Kpler, global LNG bunker volumes were around 770,000 cubic meters (m3) per month in the period January to May 2026. This represents an increase of about 13% on the same period in 2025 as more LNG fuelled vessels have entered into operation together with favourable LNG and conventional fuel prices. Liquefied biomethane is bunkered routinely today, and liquefied e-methane is in development. Since the introduction of regulations like FuelEU Maritime, LBM supply and demand have grown significantly. Data from the European Biogas Association show biomethane production capacity reached 8.2 bcm a year by the end of Q2 2026. This represents an additional 1 bcm in a single year, or growth of 17%. The number of operational biogas plants rose from 1,678 to 1,975 plants with €36 billion of
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regulation Manifold Times ·2026-07-17

SEA-LNG: LNG, biomethane bunkering continue to grow despite geopolitical uncertainty

Manifold Times
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