HOUSTON (Reuters)

US exports of natural gas liquids touched a record high in April, even as a trade war between Washington and Beijing cut shipments to the top buyer, ship tracking data showed.

The recent trade developments have threatened US exports of natural gas liquids (NGLs), such as ethane, butane and propane, used to make plastics and chemicals as well as for heating and cooking. US exports have hit a new high every year since 2010, thanks to an abundance of cheap shale natural gas.

NGLs, primarily extracted from raw natural gas during processing, are the latest energy products ensnared in the escalating trade war between the world’s two largest economies. 

Nearly half of US ethane exports go to China, and all of China’s ethane imports come from the US, with practically no options for alternative sources, according to the statistical arm of the US government. Chinese petrochemical firms use it as feedstock because it is a cheaper than alternative naphtha, while US oil and gas producers need China to buy their natural gas liquids as domestic supply exceeds demand.

The US exported about 2.9 million barrels per day (bpd) of NGLs in April, a record high, data from ship tracking firms Kpler and Vortexa showed.

But exports to China fell 35 per cent to 619,000 bpd in the month, Kpler data showed, the lowest since November 2023. China waived the 125 per cent tariff on ethane imports from the US imposed earlier this month, two sources told Reuters this week.

Other countries increased their purchases of US NGLs in the global rerouting, making up for the US’ loss of Chinese buying.

India more than tripled its purchase to a record high of 179,000 barrels per day, Kpler data showed. 

Brazil more than doubled its purchases to 113,000 bpd, the highest in five years, while Japan, the second largest buyer of US natural gas liquids, stepped up shipments by 64% to nearly 400,000 bpd, the highest since February 2023.

US production of ethane will rise 3.6 per cent to 2.9 million bpd this year, the Energy Information Administration forecast, adding that most of this growth in production will be exported to supply growing international demand.

“The market has already gone to work rerouting barrels between the world’s biggest liquefied petroleum gas (a mix of propane and butane) suppliers, the US and the Middle East, and the biggest importing countries being China and India,” said Jim Teague, co-chief executive officer Enterprise Products Partners, one of the top exporters of US natural gas liquids, in a quarterly earnings call.     

The company said it was not seeing a disruption of any of its exports of ethane, propane or butane.

Rival Energy Transfer, also among the largest exporters of US NGL, said it was not having a problem finding a home for its ethane or LPG. 

Enterprise Products said total NGL pipeline transportation volumes rose five per cent, while marine terminal volumes climbed 11 per cent. Energy Transfer’s NGL transportation volumes were up four per cent in the first quarter, while exports were up five per cent.