Japan to transport natural gas as natural gas hydrate

With the aim of lowering the cost of transporting natural gas from small and midsize gas fields in Southeast Asia, the government has set a policy to start commercially transporting natural gas in solid form by 2008, government sources said Wednesday.

As transporting natural gas in solid form is much cheaper than moving liquefied natural gas, the government expects to employ the method at numerous small gas fields located in Southeast Asia, many of which are currently unexploited.

The plan will significantly help Japan compete for energy resources with China, India and other emerging economies, which are desperately seeking to secure natural gas supplies.

The government will propose the creation of an international safety standard for transporting the solidified natural gas–or natural gas hydrate (NGH)–at a safety meeting of the International Maritime Organization, being held in Turkey until Friday.

Yomiuri Shimbun