By Stephen Stapczynski
Jul 30, 2026 - Qatar has sent its first shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) through the Strait of Hormuz after one of its tankers was attacked over three weeks ago.
The tanker, Al Areesh, had been waiting in the Persian Gulf since picking up a shipment from the Ras Laffan export facility in early July. It sailed through Hormuz with its transponder activated and was entering the Gulf of Oman on Thursday morning local time, according to ship-tracking data.
The tanker is signaling Pakistan as its next destination. Pakistan has facilitated peace talks between the US and Iran and previously avoided buying higher-priced spot LNG shipments, hoping supplies from Qatar would resume. However, it has recently made arrangements to secure immediate LNG shipments for August.
This move suggests that QatarEnergy might be restarting deliveries through the Strait after halting them following the attack on the Al Rekayyat gas carrier on July 7. Increased shipments through Hormuz could also help the company boost production at the world's largest LNG plant, a plan that was put on hold after the attack.
QatarEnergy and Seapeak LLC, the company that owns the tanker, did not respond to requests for comments.
Ship-tracking data shows more than a dozen tankers are currently waiting near Ras Laffan, suggesting they may be getting ready to collect shipments from the Qatari facility. An empty LNG carrier owned by Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.’s shipping division was seen in the Gulf on Wednesday after passing through Hormuz in the opposite direction, with its location broadcast turned off.
However, renewed attacks between the US and Iran are raising concerns that LNG shipments through Hormuz might be impacted, keeping the global market tight. After a brief halt in attacks aimed at promoting talks to resolve the ongoing conflict, hostilities resumed on Tuesday night when Iran launched several ballistic missiles at an American base in Jordan. In response, the US conducted a new wave of strikes on Thursday local time.