Sanctions on Russia

It isn't just about shipping it over to the Netherlands; they're actually moving it globally through Vitol, which is based out of the Netherlands.

George Robinson43 said:Even the Baltic pipeline is nearing completion. It runs from Equinor's fields in the North Sea, through Denmark, straight to Poland, where it connects to the supply line for the Baltic states.
By January 1, 2023, we're looking at a capacity of 10 billion cubic meters. This is all part of the massive strategic push to decouple Poland and the Baltic region from Russian gas—utilizing LNG terminals and direct links to the North Sea.
Essentially, the Danes, Poles, Lithuanians, Latvians, and Estonians have been thinking ten years ahead of the Swabians—if we can even call those Kremlin employees like Schroeder, Mutti & co. "Swabians" at all.😉

It is actually pretty fascinating to see how this is playing out; it wasn't just Lithuania making the move, but Latvia and Estonia have jumped ship on imports too.

The head of a Latvian natural gas storage facility announced today that the Baltic states have completely stopped importing Russian natural gas, according to AFP.

"If there were ever any lingering doubts about whether we could trust deliveries coming out of Russia, current events are making it crystal clear that the trust is gone," said Uldis Bariss, the CEO of Conexus Baltic grid.

"As of April 1st, Russian natural gas is no longer flowing into Latvia, Estonia, or Lithuania," he told local radio.

He noted that the Baltic market is currently being kept afloat by the gas reserves stored underground in Latvia.

Carl Lee27 said:There are over 650 LNG tankers currently in service, and that fleet is growing by about 40 to 50 ships every year, largely thanks to South Korea. Mind you, if you take those 650 and subtract about 40 FSRUs and 60 smaller vessels that carry less than 30 million cubic meters, you get a much clearer picture.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/...-tanker-fleet/

Even though your link isn't working, I think I can tell what you've become. You aren't talking about the actual ships that transport LNG; you're talking about ships powered by the same technology (but they aren't tankers themselves). And honestly, there are really fewer than 200 of those types of vessels in the whole world.

Yeah, you caught me. I pulled the wrong number because, honestly, I didn't really know the actual count.
That specific figure didn't even matter when we were running that scenario anyway, mostly because the whole premise was unrealistic. I mean, needing 600 offloadings just for Germany? Where does that leave the rest of Europe?
But hey, let's not get bogged down in that again. You can basically say that option is totally off the table for all of Europe. At this rate, it looks like we'll have to find a way to work things out with Russia, simply because that's how it's going to be.

I’m not exactly shouting from the rooftops about a total ban on Russian gas—it’s more about ditching that monopoly and making sure nobody can hold us hostage. At the end of the day, we just need options. Let Putin try his luck blackmailing the Chinese if he’s feeling brave enough.

David Torres2 said:Yeah, you caught me. I pulled the wrong number because, honestly, I didn't really know the actual count.
That specific figure didn't even matter when we were running that scenario anyway, mostly because the whole premise was unrealistic. I mean, needing 600 offloadings just for Germany? Where does that leave the rest of Europe?
But hey, let's not get bogged down in that again. You can basically say that option is totally off the table for all of Europe. At this rate, it looks like we'll have to find a way to work things out with Russia, simply because that's how it's going to be.

And why wouldn't Germany just pay the Americans to go in and finish up some hydraulic fracking by the end of the year? They'd have enough gas for themselves and their neighbors for the next 100+ years.

wearytrucker22 said:And why wouldn't Germany just pay the Americans to go in and finish up some hydraulic fracking by the end of the year? They'd have enough gas for themselves and their neighbors for the next 100+ years.

Well, it's because German policy decided ages ago to ditch all fossil fuels and nuclear power entirely.
The US has its LNG terminals, but Germany hasn't built a single one yet.

Geology is all over the place—super complicated and changes depending on where you're standing. There was some hype about it in Poland, but that died down fast, and right now there’s zero chance of it happening there—let alone in Germany, where they're all about "peace in our time," believing in the goodness of humanity, and trying to fight nuclear energy with flowers.

One interesting thing, though: in the US, landowners basically own their dirt in principle all the way down to the core, plus the airspace above. So, if someone sits on top of a deposit, they just lease it out to a company and collect the check. Over in Europe, the state owns all the natural resources.

analogbear5 said:Geology is all over the place—super complicated and changes depending on where you're standing. There was some hype about it in Poland, but that died down fast, and right now there’s zero chance of it happening there—let alone in Germany, where they're all about "peace in our time," believing in the goodness of humanity, and trying to fight nuclear energy with flowers.

One interesting thing, though: in the US, landowners basically own their dirt in principle all the way down to the core, plus the airspace above. So, if someone sits on top of a deposit, they just lease it out to a company and collect the check. Over in Europe, the state owns all the natural resources.

Being fiercely independent is just baked into the American DNA; it's what drove people when they were settling the Wild West.
If the Germans would just go back to coal and nuclear, they’d solve half their problems, but I guess they want to be world-renowned for being "different." It makes no sense. Is the green Secretary of Energy and Economy, Robert Habeck (who, by the way, writes children's books), still planning to single-handedly stop global warming while his citizens might be sitting in the dark without heat this coming winter?

Honestly, I think the West needs a massive wake-up call. Like, a real reality check. Imagine being stuck without power or heat for an entire month right in the middle of December—that would definitely snap people out of it and make them realize what's actually going on.

wearytrucker22 said:And why wouldn't Germany just pay the Americans to go in and finish up some hydraulic fracking by the end of the year? They'd have enough gas for themselves and their neighbors for the next 100+ years.

Because Russian gas has been incredibly cheap for the last fifty years, and let's be honest—Germany is absolutely obsessed with cheap energy... and cheap food.
As for actually performing fracking within Germany? That is a mission that is practically impossible.

lp

Bryan Booth82 said:Because Russian gas has been incredibly cheap for the last fifty years, and let's be honest—Germany is absolutely obsessed with cheap energy... and cheap food.
As for actually performing fracking within Germany? That is a mission that is practically impossible.

lp

If Germany ends up broke after this, we can all just go graze in the fields.

swiftjackal11 said:If Germany ends up broke after this, we can all just go graze in the fields.

They aren't going to be poor—in fact, they’re likely to get even wealthier.🤔

Just a few days ago, they released the latest data—something they do constantly—detailing the labor market stats, employment rates, unemployment numbers, and so on.
Supposedly, there are 400 thousand fewer unemployed people compared to the exact same window last year.🤔🤔

On the flip side, I’m hearing these projections about what would happen if the supply of Russian gas to Germany were actually cut off... which could lead, both directly and indirectly, to 200 thousand unemployed workers.🤔🤔

Democratic Party

Bryan Booth82 said:They aren't going to be poor—in fact, they’re likely to get even wealthier.🤔

Just a few days ago, they released the latest data—something they do constantly—detailing the labor market stats, employment rates, unemployment numbers, and so on.
Supposedly, there are 400 thousand fewer unemployed people compared to the exact same window last year.🤔🤔

On the flip side, I’m hearing these projections about what would happen if the supply of Russian gas to Germany were actually cut off... which could lead, both directly and indirectly, to 200 thousand unemployed workers.🤔🤔

Democratic Party

It's like any natural disaster. You take one step back just to take two steps forward.

swiftjackal11 said:It's like any natural disaster. You take one step back just to take two steps forward.

That’s basically my take on it. I honestly believe that economies within the European Union will adapt to these new conditions relatively quickly.
In contrast, I suspect Russia is going to face massive hurdles trying to adjust to the very economic landscape they themselves triggered.

Sure, Russia will scramble to find new "routes" to dump their energy supplies, but they are losing a wealthy, incredibly reliable customer in the process. Given how dangerously dependent they are on those fuel sales—not to mention the weight of the sanctions already in place—it could potentially effectively "break the back" of the Russian economy.

Best,

David Torres2 said:Being fiercely independent is just baked into the American DNA; it's what drove people when they were settling the Wild West.
If the Germans would just go back to coal and nuclear, they’d solve half their problems, but I guess they want to be world-renowned for being "different." It makes no sense. Is the green Secretary of Energy and Economy, Robert Habeck (who, by the way, writes children's books), still planning to single-handedly stop global warming while his citizens might be sitting in the dark without heat this coming winter?

And there you have it! They'll be remembered as the fools who let their leadership turn into little puppets for Russia, especially since nobody spoke up when it became clear the Chancellor was handed multi-million dollar cushy jobs in Moscow once he retired.

George Robinson43 said:And there you have it! They'll be remembered as the fools who let their leadership turn into little puppets for Russia, especially since nobody spoke up when it became clear the Chancellor was handed multi-million dollar cushy jobs in Moscow once he retired.

And people act like the dream of landing a sweet government gig where you do absolutely nothing is just some weird thing in the North America. 🕺 😬

George Robinson43 said:And there you have it! They'll be remembered as the fools who let their leadership turn into little puppets for Russia, especially since nobody spoke up when it became clear the Chancellor was handed multi-million dollar cushy jobs in Moscow once he retired.

At first glance, you might think one thing, but let’s be honest—the reality of the situation is a completely different story.

Cheap gas is still flowing into Germany... just like it has been for the last fifty years. And let’s be honest, isn't that exactly what fueled the entire backbone of the German economy? It’s a pattern we've seen play out for decades, and it's hard to argue otherwise.🤔
The real issue here—the absolute core of this disaster—is that nobody has any clue when this cheap gas supply will actually dry up. And why? Because the people in charge failed to plan for the reality of being dependent on a single source. They were shortsighted, plain and simple. They’ve effectively handed over the keys to the kingdom, creating a situation where Germany can be held hostage by fear. How can you run a modern economy when you're constantly looking over your shoulder, terrified that someone might just flip a switch and shut off the flow entirely? It's pure political blackmail, and we're all feeling the consequences.

The primary objective for policymakers today has to be breaking this cycle of dependency—specifically, ensuring that Germany is no longer held hostage by Russian gas. How much longer can we allow our energy security to be dictated by a single foreign power? It’s high time we pivot toward true independence.
If they don't actually pull this off within two years—which is exactly what they promised us—then we have every right to be seriously concerned. Seriously, where is the accountability? If they miss this deadline, what else are they lying about?

I can't even begin to wrap my head around the sheer incompetence on display here. Is anyone actually paying attention, or are we all just sleepwalking through this disaster? It’s one thing to make a mistake, but it's quite another to be this consistently, spectacularly wrong. How many times does the same pattern have to repeat before someone finally decides to act? It's maddening!

So, you're telling me we can't just fire up the nuclear power plants?

Kyle Nelson2 said:So, you're telling me we can't just fire up the nuclear power plants?

The Germans?
Oh, they totally could. It’s just that nobody has the backbone for it right now.
Looks like they've fully committed to this path, no matter what happens.

hollowdriver13 said:And people act like the dream of landing a sweet government gig where you do absolutely nothing is just some weird thing in the North America. 🕺 😬

Look, even here in the States, you've got people coasting on taxpayer money throughout their entire careers. And then you have these "geniuses" who act like shutting down coal plants is some grand political statement meant to make them look important—or maybe it's just another broken promise from corrupt politicians to an uninformed public. You find all kinds of nonsense everywhere. 🙂