Prospects for Shipping of Liquefied Natural Gas

Natural gas comprises approximately 20 percent of the more than 200 quadrillion Btu's of energy consumed annually in the free world today. This paper examines energy requirements of major energy-consuming areas such as the United States, Western Europe and Japan, indicating the probable demand for natural gas through 1985. Implications of this demand in terms of importation of liquefied natural gas are measured to determine probable future requirements for LNG carriers.