Close to half a dozen liquefied natural gas carriers have gone into the Strait of Hormuz in the past few days and six have exited the strait, despite the recent return to hostilities between the United States and Iran.
According to Kpler data cited by Reuters, five ballast LNG tankers have entered the chokepoint in recent days, four of them linked to Qatar, and the fifth one owned by a Greek shipping company. The five vessels were previously seen outside Hormuz earlier this month.
An earlier report said that at least four LNG tankers turned away after attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz because of the renewed threat of Iranian strikes on vessels in the waterway. The report, by Marine Insight News, cited data from Kpler and LSEG. It said, however, that since the war began, 16 LNG cargoes had left the Ras Laffan hub in Qatar and 10 more had been loaded and shipped from the Emirati Das Island terminal. There are also 14 LNG tankers anchored outside Ras Laffan, waiting to load.
Separately, Reuters cited data from the Japanese government showing that 22 Japan-linked vessels had passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the past few days and are heading to Japan. These include six crude oil tankers, which traversed the strait between July 7 and 9. Four Japanese-linked vessels remain in the strait.
Earlier reports from this week, however, mentioned at least eight oil tankers and liquefied gas carriers that made U-turns after trying to pass through Hormuz. The reports followed news that Iran had struck three tankers in the waterway, to which the U.S. responded with attacks on land targets in Iran, which in turn prompted Iran to retaliate with strikes on Kuwait and Bahrain. Ultimately, President Donald Trump declared the ceasefire was over.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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