Pakistan Pursues Additional Qatar LNG Supplies via Strait of Hormuz Route

Pakistan Secures Limited Qatari LNG Shipment Through Strait of Hormuz

Pakistan has made significant progress in its negotiations with Iran, allowing a limited number of Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes to transit the Strait of Hormuz. This development comes as Qatar sent its first shipment through the strait since the war began.

The Al Kharaitiyat, a vessel loaded at the Ras Laffan export plant earlier this month, exited the strait and entered the Gulf of Oman on Sunday. Ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg shows that the vessel navigated the Tehran-approved northern route, which hugs the Iranian coast through the strait. The Al Kharaitiyat lists Pakistan as its next destination.

This shipment is part of Pakistan's efforts to negotiate additional Qatari LNG cargoes through the Strait of Hormuz to meet urgent demand. Pakistan is struggling with a gas shortfall and widespread blackouts due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has dried up shipments from its primary provider, Qatar. The war, which began at the end of February, has tightened Iran's grip on the vital waterway, posing security threats to vessels in the region.

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Pakistan is mediating between the US and Iran in the conflict and is seeking to resume LNG flows. The country's government, however, has not commented on the shipments, with petroleum division spokesperson Zafar Abbas not responding to a request for comment. Iran's foreign ministry also declined to comment.

Three tankers laden with Qatari LNG currently in the Persian Gulf are signaling Pakistan as their destination, suggesting that more LNG flows could resume. However, this is a far cry from prewar levels of roughly three shipments a day out of the Persian Gulf. At least two LNG tankers that loaded from Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.'s export plant have traversed the strait since the conflict began.

Qatar had previously attempted to send shipments through Hormuz but turned back due to security concerns. The country, which produced almost a fifth of global LNG supply last year, has been unable to move LNG out of the Persian Gulf in the war that is now in its third month.

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Note: The table above highlights the comparison between LNG shipments from Qatar and Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. since the war began, as well as pre-war levels of LNG shipments from Qatar.