In an increasingly tight gas market (MEES, 24 September), growing Middle Eastern demand is further exacerbating the situation. Kuwait started up its massive new 22mn t/y Al Zour import terminal in July (MEES, 16 July), facilitating a surge in import volumes for the subsequent months.

Kuwaiti LNG imports had already been hitting new records each year, but the gains have been limited by the capacity of its import facilities. Until July it was relying solely on a 5.8mn t/y FSRU anchored at Mina Al-Ahmadi, which was already being maxed out during the peak summer demand period. Until this year, the highest monthly import figure was 615,000 tons in August 2020. (CONTINUED - 497 WORDS)