Europe lowered purchases of liquefied natural gas for a third month in August as buyers boosted purchases of oil-linked fuel through pipelines from Russia. LNG imports by 10 nations in the region that receive the tanker-delivered fuel dropped 3.4 percent from a year earlier in August, after reaching a two-year high in March, according to data from Genscape Inc. Russian pipeline supplies soared about 20 percent from a year earlier in August, remaining at the highest level this year, tracking declining crude prices, according to data from Gazprom PJSC, the world’s biggest gas producer. Europe, which imports as much as 70 percent of its gas needs, has increased shipments from Russia as contract prices declined because they follow crude with several months delay. Traders bought more LNG as they waited for pipeline gas prices to drop further in the third quarter, encouraged by a slump in Asian LNG prices […]