Five vessels loaded with liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Ras Laffan, Qatar, are approaching the Strait of Hormuz, according to ship-tracking data on Saturday.
If these vessels successfully cross the strait, it would mark the first transit of LNG cargoes through the waterway since the US-Israel war with Iran began on February 28. On Friday, Iran reopened the strait, which before the conflict carried a fifth of the world’s LNG trade, following a separate US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon.
The vessels—Al Ghashamiya, Lebrethah, Fuwairit, Rasheeda, and Disha—are moving eastward towards the Strait of Hormuz. The first four tankers are controlled by QatarEnergy, while Disha is chartered by India’s Petronet. QatarEnergy did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
According to Laura Page, manager of LNG Insight at Kpler, two ballast Adnoc vessels entered the Gulf of Oman and moored outside Fujairah. This aligns with flaring data suggesting multiple trains at Ras Laffan’s north site have restarted, as well as the UAE’s Das Island plant.
Qatar is the world’s second-largest exporter of LNG, mostly shipped to buyers in Asia. However, Iranian attacks knocked out 17% of Qatar’s LNG export capacity, with repairs expected to sideline 12.8 million metric tons per year for three to five years.