Two Qatar LNG ships turn around; the Strait of Hormuz passage remains blocked

Golden Finance reports, on April 6, two tankers carrying liquefied natural gas from Qatar appear to have abandoned their attempt to leave the Persian Gulf by sailing through the Strait of Hormuz. According to vessel tracking data, after the “Al Daayen” and “Rasheeda” loaded liquefied natural gas from Qatar’s export facilities at the end of February, they had headed east toward waters near Oman to try to enter that waterway, but then turned around and left. Since the U.S. and the U.K. launched strikes against Iran at the end of February, no tankers carrying liquefied natural gas have passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Based on Kpler’s vessel data, Qatar has sent two shipments of liquefied natural gas to Kuwait over the past few weeks. These supplies likely came from Qatar’s storage tanks for loading, so there was no need to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Because ships navigating in high-risk areas may be subject to electronic interference or may proactively shut down their transponders, there is uncertainty in vessel tracking around the Persian Gulf. (Jin Ten)