The largest quantities of oil and gas discovered are to be found in developing countries, far from the major consumers. These producer countries easily meet their own needs and export the greater part of their production.
On the other hand, developed countries, major energy consumers, are not self-sufficient in oil and gas, far from it: they are therefore hydrocarbon importers. Even in developed countries that are also major producers, such as the United States, the production zones are often far from the centres where crude and gas is required.
As a result, for several decades now, enormous quantities of oil and gas have been transported all over the world by sea and on land. |