Fill her up! Thailand is preparing to import more gas from the United States, expanding an ethane storage tank terminal at its main port, as the Kingdom seeks win-win outcomes with one of its most important trading partners.

The increased ethane gas imports will help Thailand and other countries in the region meet their constantly growing demands for energy, while also contributing to Thailand’s efforts to achieve greater balance its trade relationship with the United States.

Thai Tank Terminal, a joint venture between PTTGC, Gulf Energy Development, both of Thailand, and Vopak of the Netherlands, said it will construct an additional 160,000 cubic meters of tank storage in Map Ta Phut, the Kingdom’s largest deep-water seaport. Increasing U.S. ethane imports is the main factor in the expansion.

The United States was Thailand’s largest export market in 2024. The Kingdom shipped $54.96 billion worth of goods to America last year, equal to 18.6 percent of its total exports. Meanwhile, the U.S. sent $17.7 billion to the Kingdom, resulting in a trade deficit of $45.6 billion.

The administration of President Donald Trump has expressed its intention to deal firmly with countries that have large trade gaps with the U.S. One method of creating more parity in trade is by using tariffs, although many economists believe they do more harm than good.

Thailand values its relationship with the United States – the Kingdom is the oldest treaty ally of the U.S. in Asia, and the relationship was built on trade – and Thai policymakers have been exploring ways to increase American imports.

Exports are the most powerful piston in Thailand’s economic engine and have served to raise the Kingdom’s level of development.

Developing countries, such as Thailand, typically run trade surpluses with more advanced economies as they climb the development ladder. Trading relationships tend to even out as economies mature.