Qatar Makes Another Attempt to Send LNG Shipment Through Hormuz

(Bloomberg) -- A tanker carrying liquefied natural gas from Qatar is attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, which — if successful — would mark the country’s first export out of the region since the Iran war began.

The Al Kharaitiyat, which loaded at the Ras Laffan export plant earlier this month, is currently in the waterway between Oman and Iran, ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg shows. The vessel lists Pakistan as its next destination, according to the data.

The ship is navigating the Tehran-approved northern route near Qeshm and Larak islands, the tracking data show. 

Qatar has made several attempts to send shipments through Hormuz, but each tanker has had to turn around. The country, which produced almost a fifth of global LNG supply last year, hasn’t been able to move any LNG out of the Persian Gulf since the conflict began at the end of February. 

The effective closure of the waterway has choked off global supplies of the super-chilled fuel, sending prices higher and causing shortages across emerging Asian markets. Vessels continue to face security threats as both Iran and the US have implemented de facto blockades. 

At least two LNG tankers loaded from Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.’s export plant have traversed the strait since the conflict began, Bloomberg reported earlier this week. While these journeys offer tentative signs that more flows could resume, it’s a far cry from pre-war levels of roughly three shipments a day.

Qatar’s Nakilat owns the Al Kharaitiyat, according to ship database Equasis. Nakilat and QatarEnergy did not respond to a request for comment outside of normal business hours.

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