Qatar LNG Tankers Fail to Pass Through the Strait of Hormuz

Two tankers carrying liquefied natural gas from Qatar appear to have abandoned an effort to exit the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz — delaying what would have been the first exports to buyers outside of the region since the war started.

The Al Daayen and Rasheeda, which each loaded LNG from Qatar’s export plant in late February, have u-turned away from the strait after earlier heading eastward toward the waterway near Oman.

Al Daayen is still signaling Qatar’s largest LNG buyer China as its next destination, the data show. Still, destinations are not final and vessels may change their indicated port of call at any time. So far, no loaded LNG tanker has passed through Hormuz since the US and Israel began strikes on Iran in late February.