A liquefied natural gas tanker from Qatar was making its way toward the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, heading to Pakistan after leaving Qatar’s Ras Laffan terminal, maritime tracking information from LSEG reveals.
If the vessel completes its journey successfully, it would represent the first time a Qatari LNG ship has made it through the strategic waterway since Iran began its military campaign. QatarEnergy has not yet responded to requests for comment.
The tanker Al Kharaitiyat operates under a Marshall Islands flag and is operated by Nakilat Shipping Qatar Ltd, with storage space for 211,986 cubic meters of cargo, maritime records indicate.
In early April, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards stopped two LNG vessels from Qatar – the Al Daayen and Rasheeda – as they approached the Strait of Hormuz on April 6, ordering them to remain stationary without providing any reasoning, according to a source who spoke to Reuters.
As the globe’s second-biggest LNG supplier, Qatar primarily ships its energy exports to Asian markets. Iranian military actions have damaged 17% of Qatar’s LNG shipping capabilities, with reconstruction work anticipated to keep 12.8 million tons annually of the fuel offline for three to five years.
