QatarEnergy-Controlled LNG Tanker Exits Strait Of Hormuz For First Time In 3 Weeks

A QatarEnergy-controlled LNG tanker has sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz for the first time in nearly three weeks, marking the first such vessel movement since a Qatar-linked LNG carrier was hit in early July.

The Al Areesh, which loaded a cargo at Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG terminal between July 4 and July 6, passed through the Strait of Hormuz on July 29 and is now heading towards Port Qasim in Pakistan, according to ship-tracking data from Kpler and LSEG. The vessel is expected to arrive on July 31.

The tanker’s departure is the first recorded exit of a QatarEnergy-controlled LNG carrier from the strait since the Al Rekayyat was struck on July 7. The incident had led to a pause in LNG tanker movements through the key energy route.

The Al Areesh remained in the Persian Gulf after loading its cargo before sailing through Hormuz, according to vessel tracking data. Its next destination was listed as Pakistan.

However, neither QatarEnergy nor Seapeak LLC, the company that owns the tanker, immediately commented on the vessel’s movement.

Iran’s Fars news agency reported on Thursday that a Qatari LNG vessel carrying cargo had crossed the Iran-designated route through the Strait of Hormuz with Iran’s permission. The agency did not provide details about the vessel.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes. Before the waterway was affected by the Iran war that began in February following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, it carried about one-fifth of global crude oil and LNG supplies.

The previous LNG tanker recorded leaving Hormuz was the Al Hamra, which departed on July 11 after loading cargo at the United Arab Emirates’ Das Island, according to Kpler data.

Separately, the ADNOC Gas-controlled LNG tanker Mraweh was detected inside the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday after last being tracked outside the waterway in ballast condition on July 24. The vessel remained without cargo, according to Kpler data.

Shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz has increased in recent days. Twelve commodity ships passed through the waterway on Wednesday, with six vessels entering and six exiting, according to Kpler data. The number was higher than the previous two days.

Red Sea shipping activity

Activity through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait also remains under monitoring as security concerns continue in the Red Sea region.

Nineteen commodity ships passed through Bab el-Mandeb on Wednesday, according to Kpler data, while LSEG recorded 26 transits. Of the 19 vessels counted by Kpler, eight entered the strait and 11 exited, including four crude oil tankers.

Some ships may not be included in tracking data if their transponders are switched off.

Visible crude oil loadings from Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port of Yanbu dropped by at least 30% last week after Yemen’s Houthis declared a blockade on Saudi Arabia, according to Kpler and AXSMarine data.

However, Vortexa estimated that exports remained broadly stable due to an increase in so-called dark tanker loadings, where vessels operate without transmitting their locations.

“We have observed a clear increase in the number of crude/condensate tankers heading north after loading in the Red Sea,” Vortexa analyst George Morris said.

Morris said the increase showed growing security risks around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. He added that crude and condensate cargoes loaded at Yanbu made up about 15% of Asia’s seaborne imports in June.

More than a dozen tankers are currently waiting near Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG facility, according to ship-tracking data, suggesting they may be preparing to load cargoes.

References: Reuters, Bloomberg