On February 19, 2018, the Center on Global Energy Policy, in collaboration with Axelrod Energy Projects, held the third of what has become a series of annual workshops on the changing marine-fuel environment. The following text constitutes a summary that aims to capture some of the takeaways from the latest discussion, without attributing them to individual participants.

In a new commentary, non-resident Fellow Robin Mills examines the potential implications of Bahrain's recent discovery of 80 billion barrels of shale oil. The find marks the arrival of shale oil in the Middle East, and commercial offshore shale oil production would be a first for the worldwide industry.

Fellow Mike Fulwood examines what might be required to develop an Asian LNG trading hub, and considers what the alternatives are if an LNG trading hub cannot easily be achieved.

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Jason Bordoff explains how the coming wave of disruptive innovation in the energy sector is likely to be driven by digital tools bringing together artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, supercomputing and automation.

Research Analyst Akos Losz writes on the outlook for LNG demand in marine transportation in Natural Gas World.