--DES Northeast Asia

Japanese utilities, on their part, have been in a wait-and-see mode. With the costs of long-term contracts being below the spot prices, "Japanese players will choose the delivery of term contracts first" (an European trader). The trader then added that Japanese players might ask suppliers to move up the delivery of the contracts. A Japanese trading house said the similar view by saying, "The growth of gas demand with high temperatures is offset with a supply from high levels of inventories each company built, which implies the buying interests from the companies are low. Moreover, if needed, they would exercise the upward quantity tolerance (UQT) option."

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

Bangladeshi state-run Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Ltd(RPGCL) bought cargo to be delivered on Jul 28-29 from European Vitol via a tender closed on Jun 24 at $13.52.

--FOB Atlantic, DES Europe and South America

State-run Angola LNG issued a buy tender that closed on Jul 2 on a DES basis. Through the tender, Angola LNG planned to sell one cargo to be delivered from mid-July to early August to South America, Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Northeast Asia, including Japan. In the case of delivery to Japan, the delivery date would be on Jul 28-Aug 1.