LNG carrier rates are set to tumble after the first quarter as newbuildings are delivered and Asian demand for Atlantic Basin cargoes falls.

Asian producers are also starting to cancel LNG cargoes as the region's refineries come back on stream after winter maintenance, Acuity Knowledge Research analyst Atul Prasad Gupta told TradeWinds.

The record spot rates of $350,000 per day for tri-fuel diesel-electric (TFDE) carriers seen at the start of the year are unlikely to be repeated, said Gupta, the assistant director of the oil and gas practice at the...