--DES Northeast Asia

For talks over DES Northeast Asia, supply concerns receded. Supply from the 28.00 mil mt/year Bintulu project in Malaysia and 6.90 mil mt/year PNGLNG project in Papua New Guinea returned to normal after facility troubles were resolved and the 5.50 mil mt/year No.3 train at the Gorgon project in Australia finished maintenance in end-July. Perceptions of supply tightness therefore receded. Malaysian state-owned Petronas, the operator of the Bintulu project, had supply room even outside Bintulu. Petronas closed a sell tender on Wednesday for a cargo from the Gladstone LNG (GLNG) project in Australia, where it has equity, for delivery to Northeast Asia during Sep 4-5.

--FOB Middle East, DES South Asia and the Middle East

Pakistan State Oil (PSO) had moved actively to buy spot cargoes. PSO opened a buy tender closing Sep 1 for Oct 22-23 delivery. Apart from this, PSO moved to buy one cargo for Aug 29-30 delivery via a tender closed on Thursday and two cargoes to be delivered on Sep 16-17 and 26-27 via a tender closing on Aug 20.

--FOB Atlantic, DES Europe and South America

Russia's Novatek reportedly issued a buy tender closed on Thursday for a total of four cargoes for delivery to the 8.00 mil mt/year Montoir terminal in France on Aug 31, Sep 9, Oct 1 and Oct 5. Novatek also conducted a buy tender on Jul 8 for up to five cargoes for delivery to Europe in August to September but as no information was heard that the tender was awarded, sources reckoned that the company reissued the tender this time. Novatek was seen to have demand regularly for delivery to the Montoir terminal.