The port of Zeebrugge was the main hub for importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia in 2024, according to a report released on Tuesday by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).
IEEFA’s data shows that Zeebrugge imported a total of 6.93 billion cubic metres of LNG from Russia last year. This was 11% less than in 2023, when 7.77 billion cubic metres were imported.
Zeebrugge surpassed the French ports of Dunkirk and Montoir-de-Bretagne, followed by Bilbao in Spain.
The figures for Zeebrugge and Montoir-de-Bretagne include both imports and transshipments of LNG.
France, Spain, and Belgium accounted jointly for 85% of Russian LNG imports into Europe, according to IEEFA data. France was the largest importer of the three.
According to the IEEFA, 44% of the LNG imported into Belgium came from Russia, making it the country’s biggest LNG supplier.
Russia accounted for 19% of the EU’s total LNG imports.
In June last year, the EU implemented a sanctions package targeting the Russian LNG sector, banning the transshipment of the commodity to non-EU countries.
However, importing Russian LNG is still possible.
The EU aims to end its reliance on Russian gas by 2027. Still, Russian LNG imports into the Union increased by 18% in 2024.
