Five loaded Qatari LNG vessels approach Strait of Hormuz

Published 19 Apr, 2026 02:50pm 2 min read
Reuters
Reuters

Five vessels loaded with liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Ras Laffan, Qatar, are approaching the Strait of Hormuz, ship-tracking ​data showed on Saturday.

If the vessels successfully crossed the strait, ‌it would be 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 war carried a fifth of the ​world’s LNG trade, following a separate US-brokered ceasefire agreement on ⁠Thursday between Israel and Lebanon.

convoy of oil tankers was crossing ​the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday.

Data from analytics firm Kpler showed the ​vessels, Al Ghashamiya, Lebrethah, Fuwairit, Rasheeda and Disha, have moved 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.

“Currently, we see five laden vessels approaching the Strait of Hormuz. All ‌five ⁠vessels loaded from Qatar’s Ras Laffan plant. Of the five, two are destined for Pakistan, two likely destined for India and one with no clear destination,” said Laura Page, manager of LNG Insight at ​Kpler.

“In addition, two ​ballast Adnoc vessels ⁠enter the Gulf of Oman and moor outside Fujairah. The vessel movements align with flaring data, which ​suggests multiple trains at Ras Laffan’s north site have ​restarted, as ⁠well as the UAE’s Das Island plant,” she added.

Qatar is the world’s second-largest exporter of LNG, with shipments mostly going to buyers in Asia.

Iranian ⁠attacks, ​however, knocked out 17% of Qatar’s LNG export ​capacity, with repairs expected to sideline 12.8 million metric tons per year of the fuel ​for three to five years.

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