Logistical Challenges Lead to Ship-to-Ship Propane Transfers

In 2015, the U.S. exported 220,000 bbld of propane to Asia, the largest regional destination for U.S. propane. Discounted prices for American propane compared with prices in Asia—typically determined by Saudi Aramco’s monthly contract price (ACP)—create opportunities for exporting propane to Asia. Demand for propane there is driven largely by an expanding petrochemical industry that uses propane as a feedstock, as well as other industrial and consumer heating and cooking demand.

Transporting large quantities of propane over long distances requires specifically designed refrigerated ships, the largest and most economical of which are very large gas carriers (VLGCs). As most of the U.S. propane export
capacity is located along the U.S. Gulf Coast, the fastest and most direct route to Asia is via the Panama Canal. Alternatively, vessels must sail east, across the Atlantic Ocean, then either through the Suez Canal or around the
southern tip of Africa, and then cross the Indian Ocean to reach Asian destinations, adding significant voyage time and costs. However, only a very limited number of VLGCs, with a narrower, more upright hull design, are able to pass through the current Panama Canal lock dimensions. This situation will change after a new, larger set of canal locks open later this year.

One method used to cut voyage times and costs within the constraints imposed by the existing Panama Canal locks involves a ship-to-ship transfer, where the propane cargo of one vessel is transferred to another. Transfers on the Atlantic Ocean side of the canal likely involve moving cargo from a ship too large to transit onto a smaller ship that can make the passage. Once through the canal, the smaller ship will either continue on to Asia or transfer the cargo back to a larger ship to complete the journey. The additional cost associated with using multiple vessels in ship-to-ship transfers is mitigated by cost and time savings from transiting the canal rather than taking longer alternative routes that avoid it.

EIA reports that ship-to-ship transfer activity is represented in propane trade data in two ways. U.S. export data show increased propane exports to countries in the Caribbean and Central America where the ship-to-ship transfers are taking place, but which do not have sufficient domestic demand for, nor the infrastructure to store and distribute such large quantities of propane. In Asia, the activity can result in irregularities in import and export statistics among several countries.

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol documentation requires the final destination of an export, if known. Despite this requirement, some of the propane cargos exported from the U.S., which will undergo a ship-to-ship transfer, will cite the jurisdiction of the transfer, not the cargo’s actual final destination. In 2014 and 2015, the U.S. exported 31,000 bbld and 23,000 bbld of propane, respectively, to Panama. However, the National Energy Secretariat of Panama reported total national propane consumption of only 1671 bbld in 2014 and 1736 bbld in 2015. Similarly, Aruba, an island nation of about 100,000 people and no major source of demand such as petrochemical or a propane-fired power plant, imported 23,000 bbld of U.S. propane in 2015.

Tracking ship movements using automated identification system (AIS) data corroborates multiple trade press reports of ship-to-ship transfers taking place in the territorial waters of Panama, Aruba, and the Dominican Republic. Not all cargos that undergo ship-to-ship transfers are destined for Asia. The ports and territorial waters of Panama, Aruba, and the Dominican Republic are also likely locations for large cargos of propane to break-bulk, dividing large cargos into several smaller ones that better accommodate the demand and infrastructure in the Caribbean and Central America.

In Asia, propane import statistics face similar challenges in properly identifying the origin for a cargo of propane that has undergone a ship-to-ship transfer. Both Chinese and Japanese propane import statistics typically show higher volumes of propane imports from the U.S. than the corresponding U.S. propane export volume to the respective countries. In addition, both China and Japan have recently begun to report propane imports from Panama, a nation with no propane production. These propane volumes were likely sourced from the U.S. and underwent ship-to-ship transfers in Panamanian waters.

EIA comments that the new, larger Panama Canal locks will allow the majority of VLGCs to transit, which will likely reduce, or even end, the practice of ship-to-ship transfers of U.S. propane destined for Asian markets. Such an outcome would reduce discrepancies between import and export statistics, providing greater clarity on the principal markets for expanding U.S. exports.