據天然氣加工網站6月16日消息 隨著液化天然氣需求緩慢復蘇，全球天然氣庫存不斷膨脹。另外隨著經濟復蘇，對第二波疫情爆發的擔憂加劇了市場的謹慎情緒。

貿易和航運消息人士稱，日本、韓國和歐洲等國的天然氣儲罐已滿，幾十艘液化天然氣油輪正在閑置。

數據情報公司Kpler分析師麗貝卡?賈表示，已將27艘滿載液化天然氣的油輪標記為“漂浮”，其中8艘表明目的地為日本。Kpler認為，如果一艘船在水上航行超過五天，則標記為“漂浮”。

由于疫情迫使酒店和餐廳關閉，以及工廠暫停運營，日本液化天然氣最大進口國的天然氣需求一直疲弱。5月份，商業部門的天然氣銷售較上年同期下降了50%，而工業部門的天然氣銷售則下滑了20-30%。

日本4月初宣布的緊急狀態一直持續到5月下旬，5月份的月度液化天然氣進口量創下10年來的最低水平。

消息人士向路透社表示，韓國最大的液化天然氣進口國韓國天然氣公司已將數批貨物推遲至今年下半年，原因是該公司正在應對高庫存。

暖冬過后，歐洲天然氣庫存也一直處于創紀錄水平。

船舶經紀人辛普森?斯賓塞?楊分析師表示：“預計在注入季節結束前，歐洲西北部的存儲容量將達到最大容量，預計8月份還需要一段時間。”

吳恒磊 編譯自 天然氣加工

原文如下：

Global gas inventory swells as demand recovers slowly

Global gas inventory has swollen as demand for liquefied natural gas is slow to recover and fears of a second wave of the coronavirus outbreak are adding to caution as economies restart.

Dozens of LNG tankers are idling as gas storage tanks become full in countries such as Japan, South Korea and in Europe, trade and shipping sources said.

There are 27 laden LNG tankers flagged by data intelligence firm Kpler as floating, with eight of them signalling Japan as their destination, said Rebecca Chia, analyst at the company. Kpler considers a vessel as floating if it has been on the water for more than five days.

Gas demand in top LNG importer Japan has been weak as COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, forced hotels and restaurants to shut and as factories suspend operations. Gas sales in the commercial segment fell by up to 50% in May from a year earlier, while gas sales for the industrial segment slid by 20% to 30%.

Japan’s monthly LNG import volumes in May hit the lowest in a decade after the country’s state of emergency declared in early April remained in force until late May.

South Korea’s top LNG importer Korea Gas Corp (KOGAS) has deferred several cargoes to the later part of the year as it grapples with high inventory, sources told Reuters.

European gas inventories have also been at record levels after a warm winter.

“Storage capacity in Northwest Europe is expected to hit maximum capacity before the end of the injection season, which is estimated to be some time in August,” analysts from shipbroker Simpson Spence Young said.