Asia dethroned Europe as the top destination for U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes last year, taking in almost half of all exports, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

U.S. exports to Asia increased 67% in 2020 compared with 2019, accounting for 3.1 Bcf/d, EIA said. Though Covid-19 brought global economies to a near standstill for the late spring and throughout the summer, extreme cold, supply shortages and the start of an economic recovery sparked a major rebound in imports for the region.

China led Asian countries in recording the largest increase, averaging 0.6 Bcf/d in 2020 as tariffs on imports of LNG from the United States declined to 10% from 25%.

“In 2019, when tariffs were at 25%, only two U.S. LNG cargoes were shipped to China,” EIA...