NEW YORK -- The U.S. exported 197.6 billion cu. feet of liquefied natural gas from January through April, exceeding the total for all of last year, as American influence in the international market grew.

April's exports alone quintupled on the year to 50.6 billion cu. feet, according to data released at the end of June by the Energy Information Administration. Latin America and the Caribbean account for 44% of exports, and Asia for 28%, said Executive Vice President Anatol Feygin of Cheniere Energy, the sole company constructing and operating LNG export terminals in the lower 48 states.

The U.S. now exports its LNG to 23 countries. Poland began imports in June, and Japan's Chubu Electric Power imported the first American LNG derived from shale gas in January.

The shale revolution has made the U.S. the world's top producer of natural gas. The Obama administration greenlighted projects to help export LNG from the mainland, such as a Louisiana terminal that began exports in February 2016. By the end of last year, America had turned from an importer into a net exporter.

Its 2016 exports amounted to a paltry 4% of top exporter Qatar's total, according to statistics from BP. But tougher competition will be unavoidable as more large-scale LNG export projects come online in the second half.

American LNG is cost-competitive as well, said Philippe Sauquet, head of the gas branch at French oil company Total. International energy companies are attempting to capture such markets as Latin America through deeper involvement in American LNG. The likes of Total and Anglo-Dutch multinational Royal Dutch Shell are participating in American exports of the gas.

The U.S. will have the capacity to export a daily total of more than 11 billion cu. feet of LNG after 2020, the EIA projects, making it the third-largest supplier, behind Australia and Qatar. The U.S. is seen with 16% of the world's largest market, Asia.

The Trump administration is eager to connect domestic jobs to LNG exports as it champions an America-first strategy in the energy sector. The industry had called for addressing the U.S.'s post-shale-revolution glut of natural gas by improving export policies.