Qatar Boosts LNG Traffic Through Hormuz as Global Gas Shortage Bites

Qatar sent at least four laden liquefied natural gas carriers through the Strait of Hormuz last week, the most in more than two months and a clear push to restore exports as European and Asian gas prices climb to their highest since 2022.

Signal loss was recorded on five vessels during their crossings, consistent with the electronic jamming that has become routine in the strait since the US-Iran conflict began in June. One cargo reached India's west coast by Thursday without reported incident.

Before the conflict, Hormuz handled roughly one-fifth of global LNG supply, with about three laden carriers transiting each day. Last week's four outbound ships still fall well short of that pace, but the increase is the most sustained uptick since Qatar largely paused exports in early July after one of its carriers was attacked.

The new activity appears to follow a loading-and-transfer model: tankers fill inside the Persian Gulf at Ras Laffan and then hand cargoes off to waiting vessels in the Gulf of Oman, avoiding a full round trip through the contested strait. That pattern emerged earlier this month when producers tested an Oman transfer route after the first LNG transits since July.

The security risk remains real. Just days before the LNG increase, a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile in the strait and two crew were injured, one of several attacks in a week that included three ships hit in a single day.

Qatar Energy Minister Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said Ras Laffan could resume output at its undamaged sections "within a couple of weeks" of a full reopening. Doha has been talking with Gulf neighbours about protecting transits, and the size of last week's movement suggests those conversations have produced some practical confidence, even if no formal guarantee is in place.