Worries include uncertainty over remaining Russian flows through Ukraine and rebounding gas demand in Asia. A colder-than-normal winter spurring consumption at home is also seen as more likely after two consecutive mild ones.

Vietnam, which gets most of its power from coal, is rushing to avoid a repeat of last year, when a shortage of the mineral, blistering hot weather and drought forced it to cut electricity to northern industrial parks that house many multinational companies.

"If Europe is still importing LNG from Russia, it is because there is a need," a France-based gas trader said. "With our other main suppliers, such as Norway, operating at maximum capacity, it will be hard to completely stop the flow of Russian LNG. We are still not completely out of the crisis."

India's overall oil and gas output rose 1.3% on the year to 1.15 million boe/d in 2023. China's upstream story sounds relatively more promising at this stage.

Russia observed “sustained positive dynamics” in the flow of money to the federal budget, according to a Finance Ministry statement on Monday. Revenues for the three months through March amounted to 8.7 trillion rubles ($94 billion), an increase of 53.5% compared with the same period last year, data from the ministry showed.

Russia’s gas-transit agreement with Ukraine also expires at the end of the year, and there’s little clarity as of now if these volumes will still find their way to Europe.

The Worldwide Rig Count for March was 1,793, down 20 from the 1,813 counted in February 2024, and down 86,from the 1,878 counted in March 2023.

Several LNG buyers have delayed signing new long-term contracts with US producers until there is more clarity

The deal will further facilitate Australia's exports of coal and liquefied natural gas to Vietnam, the ministry said in a statement, noting that Australia is now a key coal supplier to Vietnam, accounting for 44% of its total coal imports.

Deputy Prime Minister and OPEC+ envoy Alexander Novak drove home the official line that sanctions make Russia stronger when he said in October, referring to the redirection of exports, "the main consumption of energy resources will in future be in [the Asia-Pacific] region... We would have to do this anyway. We just sped up a bit."