Hormuz LNG traffic hits highest in October since Iran war began

SINGAPORE: The monthly tally of laden liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers exiting the Strait of Hormuz reached its highest in October since the US-Iran conflict disrupted shipping this year, vessel tracking data showed.

Last month, 31 LNG tankers went through the key waterway, according to data from S&P Global Energy, of which 23 were loaded at Ras Laffan in Qatar and eight at Das Island in the United Arab Emirates.

October exports were the highest since February when the war started and were up from September’s corresponding tally of 23 vessels exiting the strait, the data showed.

“We are looking at UAE back to pre-war transit levels and Qatar at over 30% of pre-war Hormuz transits,” said Eric Yep, a senior principal analyst at S&P Global Energy.

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Kpler’s shiptracking data showed 42 LNG cargoes were loaded in October, up from 27 in September.

The changes come as Ras Laffan’s October loadings reached 35 cargoes, surpassing 2.7 million tons, the highest since the war started, according to Kpler data.

Qatar exported nearly 6.2 million tons in February.

Two of the vessels carrying LNG from Ras Laffan that exited the strait subsequently conducted ship-to-ship (STS) transfers off the coast of Oman’s Sohar anchorage, Kpler data showed.

The SC Prestige transferred LNG to the BW ENN Crystal Sky, which is now bound for South Korea.

The Al Mafyar moved its LNG to Shandong Redwood and Ejnan, both of which delivered the cargoes to Pakistan.

Das Island exports held steady at seven loadings in October, flat with September, Kpler data showed.‑Reuters