Third Qatari LNG tanker heads through Strait of Hormuz to China, data shows
· The Straits Times- A third Qatari LNG tanker, 'Al Sahla', is transiting the Strait of Hormuz to China, following two previous shipments to Pakistan, amid erratic waterway traffic.
- A Qatari negotiating team arrived in Tehran, coordinated with the US, to secure a deal to end the Iran war, with Pakistan mediating.
- Iranian attacks destroyed 17% of Qatar's LNG export capacity (12.8 million tonnes/year), with repairs estimated to take three to five years.
LONDON - A Third Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker is transiting the Strait of Hormuz and heading to China, ship-tracking data showed on May 22, as a Qatari negotiating team arrived in Tehran to try to help secure a deal to end the war with Iran.
As shipments through the waterway continue to be erratic, this third transit of a Qatari LNG tanker is taking place nearly two weeks after a first such cargo passed through the strait under an Iran-Pakistan arrangement.
The vessel, Al Sahla, with a capacity of 211,842 cubic metres, left Ras Laffan and is expected to arrive at China's Tianjin LNG terminal on June 14, according to LSEG shipping data.
The previous two Qatari LNG tankers to make it through the Strait of Hormuz since US-Israeli airstrikes unleashed the Iran war at the end of February were sold by Qatar to Pakistan under a government-to-government deal, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The people said Iran approved the shipment to help build confidence between Qatar and Pakistan, which is mediating in peace talks.
On May 22, a Qatari negotiating team arrived in Tehran in coordination with the United States to try to resolve outstanding issues, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on May 22.
Qatar is the world’s second-largest exporter of LNG, with shipments mostly going to buyers in Asia.
Iranian attacks have destroyed 17 per cent, or 12.8 million metric tonnes per year, of Qatar’s LNG export capacity. Repairs could take between three and five years, QatarEnergy’s chief executive officer and state minister for energy affairs has told Reuters. REUTERS