By Oleg Vukmanovic and Mark Tay
LONDON/SINGAPORE, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Asian spot LNG prices rose this week mostly due to short-covering by traders and portfolio players, while others sought replacement supply following loading delays at Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass plant caused by Hurricane Harvey.
Spot prices LNG-AS for October delivery rose 60 cents to $7 per million British thermal units (mmBtu). November prices were seen higher at $7.40-$7.50 per mmBtu.
"It seems the (high Asian spot) prices are not really reflecting the supply and demand fundamentals," a Singapore-based trader said, referring to the spike in prices despite traditionally weak demand in October.
Russia's Sakhalin II liquefaction plant launched a tender last Friday selling two cargoes loading in mid-November. The tender closed this Friday but bids are valid until Saturday, sources said.
Mexico's state-run power utility CFE picked Royal Dutch Shell RDSa.L and Cheniere Energy LNG.A to deliver nine liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes in the fourth-quarter, trade sources said.
Traders said Shell won most of the tender, which was awarded on Tuesday, with shipments to be spread across October, November and December into the Altamira terminal on Mexico's Atlantic coast.
Asian spot prices also gained because of disruptions to U.S. loadings by Hurricane Harvey, which filtered through to Asia.
Loadings at Cheniere's Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana resumed last Wednesday, after more than a week of delays, shipping data in Thomson Reuters Eikon showed. on feedgas inflows into Sabine Pass it looks as if all four production units at Sabine Pass are back up and running.
A fire at Trinidad's Atlantic LNG facility had no impact on production or loading activity, a project spokesman said.
Supply was relatively healthy, however, with Indonesia's Donggi Senoro and Australia's Gladstone and APLNG projects all offering supply.
The Asia Venture LNG tanker is heading toward Chevron's new Wheatstone project in Australia to export its first cargo with an estimated arrival of Sept. 24, shipping data shows.