Qatar has sent its first shipment of liquefied natural gas through the Strait of Hormuz since one of its tankers was attacked in the waterway more than three weeks ago.
Al Areesh, which had been in the Gulf since picking up a shipment from the Ras Laffan export facility in early July, was entering the Gulf of Oman on Thursday morning local time, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.
The tanker's data says Pakistan is its next destination. Islamabad has mediated peace talks between the US and Iran and has previously shunned more expensive spot LNG cargo in the expectation that supplies from Qatar would resume.
However, more recently it has made plans to procure immediate shipments for August.
The latest move indicates that QatarEnergy may be resuming deliveries through the strait after pausing journeys when Al Rekayyat gas carrier was struck on July 7.
An increase in flows through the strait may also allow the company to increase production at the world’s largest LNG plant – a plan that was placed on hold following the attack.
Neither QatarEnergy nor Seapeak, the company that owns the tanker, responded to a request for comment.
More than a dozen tankers are currently idling near Ras Laffan, according to the ship-tracking data, indicating that they may be preparing to pick up shipments from the Qatari plant.
Still, a resumption in strikes by the US and Iran is deepening concerns that LNG flows through the strait will remain compromised, leaving the global market tight.
Attacks took a brief pause in an effort to advance talks to end the months-long conflict, but that lull ended Tuesday night when Iran fired multiple ballistic missiles at a US base in Jordan. In response, the US launched a new wave of strikes on Thursday.
