Thirty-one LNG tankers passed through the Strait of Hormuz last month, up from 27 in September and the highest monthly total since February, according to Kpler data cited by Reuters. Most of the cargoes were loaded at Qatar’s Ras Laffan hub, which remains under force majeure.
Two cargoes loaded at Ras Laffan were transferred to other tankers after the original vessels cleared the strait, Kpler said. The increase in shipments has not restored Qatar’s exports to pre-war levels: the country exported close to 6.2 million tons of LNG in February, compared with 2.7 million tons in October.
The United Arab Emirates has recovered further, with seven LNG loadings from Das Island in October, unchanged from September and back at pre-war levels, the data suggests.
Iranian attacks on U.S. allies in the Gulf damaged 17% of Qatar’s export capacity and caused an estimated $20 billion in lost annual revenue, QatarEnergy said in March. The company has since been seeking ways to meet its contracts despite the force majeure.
Qatar has also agreed to buy up to 4 million tons of LNG a year from Cheniere Energy under two long-term deals. Deliveries from the company’s Sabine Pass and Corpus Christi export facilities are expected to start in 2031 and continue through 2054. Qatar recently became the largest buyer of U.S. liquefied gas.
Rystad Energy warned earlier this week that energy security in the Northern Hemisphere this winter will be highly uncertain, with tight supply creating a high likelihood of much higher gas prices.
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