Industry forecasts predict that global demand for natural gas will double in the next 25 years with North America, Europe and Japan accounting for 74% of consumption. At the same time, production from fields in the Middle East, Russia and Africa, which hold 78% of the world's proven natural gas reserves, will increase dramatically. It is this phenomenal growth in natural gas consumption that is the driving force behind the current trend for larger LNG carriers. This is coupled with the need to reduce long haul transport costs especially from the Middle East gas fields to North America where imports doubled last year to about 10.5 million tonnes with the prediction that this will quadruple by 2010.
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