Qatar LNG loading rise as Ras Laffan production resumes
QatarEnergies is loading the most LNG in a month with the 10-day moving average for LNG loadings from the giant Ras Laffan complex reaching around 80,000 tons in preparation for a potential reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.
QatarEnergies extends force majeure on Edison LNG cargoes
QatarEnergies has notified Edison that it is unable to deliver three LNG cargoes, extending force majeure until the end of September, the Italian utility stated. A total of 24 cargoes, representing a combined 3 bcm of natural gas, are now subject to force majeure over the April-September delivery window, with Edison saying it has already replaced most of the lost volumes.
LNG importers seek optionality, not just molecules
Optionality, not just molecules, is what LNG buyers are scrambling for as spare capacity shrinks and shipments from Qatar remain constraint. As sources for ‘safe’ supply become finite, each new shipping disruption has a greater impact on prices and procurement decisions, analysts warn.
Qatari LNG flows likely to recover from mid-August
Energy Aspects has pushed back its Qatari LNG ramp-up forecast by a further two weeks, now expecting a partial recovery from mid-August. Q3-26 loadings are seen at 5.4 million tons, down from 6.1 Mt previously, as markets price in elevated risk from prolonged Hormuz disruptions, though TTF is still unlikely to exceed €70/MWh over the balance of summer.
Kuwait's retreat to Qatar began before the war
Kuwait has taken 28 LNG cargoes so far this year, 2.17 million tons on an arrival-date basis to 23 July, and every one of them loaded at Ras Laffan. The last cargo from anywhere else was the LNG Borno out of Bonny Island, which discharged at Al Zour on 31 October 2025. Nothing has berthed at the terminal since 15 July.
US, Canada offset 70% of lost LNG supply via Hormuz
Soaring LNG trade flows from the US and Canada have offset around 70% of the lost supply via the Strait of Hormuz, though further military escalations in the region and delays in restoring Qatari exports keeps could prolong market tightness into 2027, the International Energy Agency (IEA) warns.
Shippers await details on Trump’s 20% Hormuz transit charge
Crude oil and LNG shippers are waiting for more details after U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington would impose a 20% charge on all cargoes transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a move the U.N.’s International Maritime Organization said it strongly opposes as unlawful.
Asian LNG demand falls for second year as Qatar disruption bites
Asian LNG demand set to fall for a second consecutive year as Qatari supply disruption pushes spot prices to levels that force buyers to cut volumes and switch fuels. Wood Mackenzie forecasts Asia Pacific demand at 257 million tons (Mt) in 2026, down from 268 Mt in the previous year and a peak of 278 Mt in 2024.
JKM-TTF spreads widen, opens arbitrage for US LNG to Asia
The arbitrage for flexible US LNG cargoes heading to Asia is open with spreads between the Japan Korea Marker (JKM) and the Dutch TTF widening, as the tepid recovery of Qatari and UAE LNG exports is unlikely to outpace rebounding Asian demand.
LNG tankers retreat from Hormuz after vessel attacks
Five crude oil and LNG tankers have turned back from attempts to transit the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian attacks on commercial shipping in the area. As tit-for-tat attacks between the US and Iran continue, maritime authorities raised the risk of transiting Hormuz to “severe.”
