SINGAPORE — Visible movements of QatarEnergy-linked liquefied natural gas vessels through the Strait of Hormuz have increased in September, marking a partial return of traffic after vessel-tracking data showed no visible Qatar-linked LNG transits through the waterway in August.
Reuters reported, citing Kpler and LSEG data, that more QatarEnergy-linked vessels — both carrying cargoes and sailing in ballast — had transited the Strait during the past week despite the continuing US-Iran conflict.
The movement does not amount to a return to normal shipping conditions, but it provides one of the clearest recent signs that some LNG traffic is again using the route.
Visible transits resume
Kpler data showed no visible August transits by Qatar-linked LNG vessels or ships carrying cargoes from Qatar’s Ras Laffan gas terminal. Concerns over attacks and restrictions around the Strait had sharply disrupted normal shipping patterns.
Tracking data now shows several vessels reappearing outside the Strait after movements associated with Ras Laffan.
One of the latest was GasLog Skagen, which appeared off Sri Lanka on September 27 carrying a cargo from Ras Laffan, according to LSEG and Kpler data cited by Reuters.
The data requires an important qualification. Ships can switch off their Automatic Identification System transponders, and some vessels may therefore have crossed without appearing in public tracking records. The absence of a visible transit does not prove that no ship passed through the Strait.
Qatar’s LNG exports depend on the route
Qatar is one of the world’s largest LNG exporters, and Ras Laffan sits inside the Gulf. Cargoes leaving the terminal for customers in Asia and other markets normally pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
That geography makes Qatari LNG particularly exposed to disruption at the narrow waterway. Even limited interruptions can affect voyage planning, insurance, freight costs and expectations about gas availability in importing countries.
The renewed visible traffic is therefore relevant to buyers well beyond the Gulf. It suggests that some operators are again accepting the risks of transit, although the wider security situation remains unsettled.
Pakistan has direct exposure to Qatari supply
Pakistan is among the countries with direct exposure to Qatari LNG flows because imported gas forms part of its energy supply mix.
A Qatar-origin cargo carried by Shandong Redwood was delivered to Pakistan on September 23, according to the same shipping-data reporting. That shipment is separate from the broader trend now visible in the vessel data, which covers multiple Qatar-linked movements rather than a single Pakistan-bound cargo.
For Pakistan, a sustained improvement in LNG traffic through Hormuz would reduce one source of near-term supply uncertainty. It would not remove the wider risks created by the conflict, including elevated oil prices, insurance costs and the possibility of renewed shipping disruption.
The latest tracking data therefore points to cautious improvement rather than normalisation. More Qatar-linked LNG ships are visibly moving through the Strait, but traffic remains shaped by security conditions and incomplete public visibility of vessel movements.