LNG tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz accelerated in September, with 20 vessels crossing by 23 September, according to Kpler.
S&P Global Energy counted 19 LNG cargoes exiting the Gulf during the month, comprising 13 shipments from Qatar and six from the UAE, up from 15 in June. Kpler’s final tally was slightly higher at 21 cargoes, putting September traffic at its highest monthly level since February.
The recovery was concentrated in the second half of September. Kpler’s 23 September count included 10 QatarEnergy-linked vessels and 10 vessels linked to UAE state-owned ADNOC. LNG loadings continued at Qatar’s Ras Laffan and the UAE’s Das Island, although dark loadings limited visibility over regional exports.
Three QatarEnergy-linked LNG carriers later reappeared outside the Gulf after gaps in their Automatic Identification System signals. Al Kharaitiyat was last detected in the strait around 22-23 September before reappearing west of India around 29-30 September. Al Gharrafa disappeared from tracking between 23 and 24 September and reappeared west of India on 30 September. Milaha Qatar, managed by Germany’s Pronav Ship Management, was last detected in the strait between 17 and 21 September before reappearing west of India on 30 September. The vessel subsequently discharged its Qatar-origin cargo at Hazira on India’s west coast.
Many vessels conducting such “dark transits” switch off their AIS transponders, reducing their visibility to commercial ship-tracking systems.
“The key concern is whether LNG transits through Hormuz can be sustained through winter,” said Eric Yep, senior principal analyst at S&P Global Energy. Before disruptions began in late February, the Strait of Hormuz carried roughly one-fifth of global crude oil and LNG supplies.