By Nora Buli and Alban Kacher

(Reuters) -Europe will need to import up to 160 additional liquefied natural gas cargoes this winter due to lower storage and a decline in pipeline flows from Russia and Algeria, according to analysts and data, deepening its dependency on U.S. gas.

LNG imports will jump to 820 tankers this year from 660 last year, representing 48% of all EU gas supply, with analysts forecasting need for around 16 billion cubic meters (bcm) this winter.

A decade ago, LNG covered only 10% of EU gas needs, and the share stood at 23% in 2021 before Russia invaded Ukraine and the bloc cut Russian pipeline imports.

The typical modern LNG cargo vessel has a capacity of around 0.1 bcm.

U.S. LNG exports saved Europe from a deeper gas crisis in 2022, but that growing reliance has c

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