Britain is to take delivery of a shipment of gas all the way from Australia next week, as pressure on European energy supplies grows.
The liquid natural gas (LNG) is due to arrive on Monday, according to commodities analyst Kpler.
Australia doesn't usually sell gas this far afield, but European countries have been seeking alternatives to Russian energy following the invasion of Ukraine.
It is thought to be the first LNG to arrive here from Australia in at least six years.
The tanker Attalos is on its way to the UK with its cargo which originated at Australia's North West Shelf project, and will arrive at the Isle of Grain terminal east of London.
Energy analyst David Cox said the Australian shipment was a sign of how "desperate" European countries were to secure alternative sources of gas before winter.
"European nations are desperately trying to store up before the winter comes," he told the BBC.
Exported to Europe
"This shipment isn't necessarily for the UK, because we don't have the storage to keep it anyway. I imagine most of it will be exported to Europe, where they're racing to increase their supplies."
Australia's decision to sell to Europe could also be partly due to reduced demand from China, where Mr Cox said repeated Covid lockdowns had reduced the need for energy.
The UK gets about half of its gas directly from its own waters. A further third comes via pipelines from Norway and it also buys LNG from Qatar, the US and a handful of other countries.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that Centrica is aiming to start filling up Britain's Rough gas-storage facility in a matter of days.
UK Government officials and Centrica are said to be aiming to complete talks so the site can come back into use at the start of September.
The company has already been given the go-ahead from the Health and Safety Executive. The final hurdles are understood to be consents from the North Sea Transition Authority and an agreement between the UK Government and Centrica on state support for the facility.
Natural gas storage
Centrica shut down Rough in 2017 because it had become too expensive without support - the site previously accounted for 70% of Britain's natural gas storage capacity.
The UK Government has officially said that a gas shortage in the country is unlikely, but experts have said reopening Rough would strengthen domestic supply.
It's hoped that the site, 18 miles off the Yorkshire coast, will provide Britain with crucial supplies during tough winter months ahead. Rough can hold capacity for about 10 days when full.