Iran: LNG infrastructure

Chokepoint exposure is shown on each terminal page, taken from a hand-maintained trade-lane table. It is an editorial routing model of typical laden voyages, not vessel tracking. The exposure feed aggregates it by chokepoint.

• Liquefaction trains explained

  A liquefaction train is one complete, self-contained refrigeration line that chills treated natural gas until it condenses, and a large modern train produces roughly 5 to 8 million tonnes of LNG a year.

• LNG and maritime chokepoints

  A maritime chokepoint is a narrow strait or canal that a large share of seaborne trade must pass through, and LNG exposure to them depends entirely on which exporting region supplies which importing market.

• How LNG works

  Liquefied natural gas is natural gas chilled to about minus 162 degrees Celsius, at which point it becomes a liquid roughly 600 times smaller than the gas, so it can be shipped where no pipeline runs.

• Mtpa, bcm and cubic metres

  LNG capacity is quoted in three incompatible units, and the two conversions that matter are 1 million tonnes a year equals about 1.36 billion cubic metres of gas a year, and 1 cubic metre of liquid equals about 600 cubic metres of gas.