Germany is already building liquid gas terminals, but that's not enough for the conservative wing of the SPD. They are now demanding that Chancellor Scholz build up his own tanker fleet. They are also pulling the free trade agreement with the USA out of the drawer again.
Almost 100 SPD MPs are calling on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to set up a state fleet of liquid gas tankers. "So that we do not steer from a resource dependency to a transport dependency when it comes to energy supply, it is necessary to build up a highly flexible LNG tanker fleet under state sovereignty," according to the "Tagesspiegel" in a position paper by the Seeheimer Kreis of the SPD.
The Seeheimer Kreis is the conservative wing of the SPD parliamentary group. It currently has 91 MPs, including party leader Lars Klingbeil. Several liquid gas terminals are currently being built on the German coast. The freight rates of the LNG tankers have risen massively in some cases and are making gas imports from other sources extremely expensive. There is a risk of new dependencies on Asian countries with the corresponding tanker capacities. There are currently around 680 LNG tankers worldwide.
In its position paper entitled "Transformation of our industrial and trade policy", the Seeheimer Kreis emphasized that a state fleet should not only be able to transport liquid gas (LNG - Liquefied Natural Gas), but also hydrogen derivatives such as methanol and ammonia. . "Sustainable security of supply can only be guaranteed by having our own maritime transport capacities in the energy sector and in the supply of basic materials," write the SPD MPs to Chancellor Olaf Scholz: "The development of an LNG fleet should primarily be based on shipyard and production capacities in be implemented in Germany. This will massively strengthen Germany as a location for shipbuilding."
According to the "Tagesspiegel", the Seeheimers are also campaigning for a new start for a free trade agreement with the USA. "Realigning our trade policy includes a new understanding of the importance of free trade," they said. For years, the SPD argued about the CETA agreement with Canada and the party opposed the TTIP free trade agreement with the USA. Chancellor Scholz also recently indicated his willingness to try again for an agreement with the USA.
"We need a comprehensive free trade agreement with the USA," the Seeheimer Kreis is now increasing the pressure on the left wing of the SPD and the Greens. In addition, more free trade agreements are needed, especially with the democratic countries of the Global South: "Chancellor Olaf Scholz's climate club offers the right framework for agreeing on multilateral, strategic partnerships for trade, climate protection, energy and raw materials," emphasized the SPD deputies the political benefits in a rapidly changing world: "In the future, we want to use free trade agreements more actively to network with our allied democracies in the mutual economic and social interest."
