Gulf traffic resumes but no surge in Ras Laffan loadings
The last LNG carrier, still holding the cargo it was carrying when March's closure of the Strait of Hormuz trapped it in the Persian Gulf, is preparing to leave the region, our data shows. The Patris, carrying a 0.07MMt cargo, had listed Himeji, Japan, as its destination in March – but now shows none, with the scheduled delivery likely cancelled or rescheduled.
Qatar aims to resume normal LNG exports within weeks
Qatar expects to restore normal liquefied natural gas production “within a few weeks,” Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told the Financial Times, provided the US and Iran establish a “hotline” to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
GE to power Vietnam LNG plant
GE Vernova has secured an order to supply two 9HA.02 gas turbines and two H78 generators for Vietnam Electricity’s (EVN) Quang Trach II LNG-fuelled power plant, a combined-cycle facility expected to generate more than 1.6 GW. The plant, located in the Hon La Economic Zone in Quang Tri Province, is scheduled to begin commercial operations by 2030.
QatarEnergy moves empty LNG carriers back into the Gulf
Qatar is repositioning LNG carriers back into the Middle East Gulf as loadings resume and is understood to be seeking short-term charter coverage. Offtakers are counting on QatarEnergy’s promise to reinstate at least half of Ras Laffan production capacity within a month of safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz being restored.
Glenfarne warns Senate tax bill could stall Alaska LNG pipeline
Glenfarne has warned Alaska’s proposed gasline tax package could still leave the $13.2–16.9 billion pipeline segment of the Alaska LNG project without a viable path to completion, undermining financing just as the project seeks to take FID.
Poland weighs second FSRU for Gdansk LNG terminal expansion
Poland’s state-controlled TSO Gaz-System is considering adding a second floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) to its planned LNG import terminal in Gdansk. The project is slated to start with 6.1 bcm per year of regas capacity and could be expanded by another 4.5 bcm to 10.6 bcm per year when it comes online, currently targeted for 2028.
Solar, wind and batteries squeeze Asia’s LNG demand outlook
Rising renewable capacity and cheaper batteries are weakening the investment case for LNG import terminals and gas-fired generation, with Ember signalling out China as the clearest example of that shift.
Ras Laffan blast killed 13
An explosion at QatarEnergies LNG processing site at Ras Laffan killed 13 people and left 66 people injured, Qatar’s energy minister Saad al-Kaab said. The cause of the blast was not immediately clear. Authorities are investigating the incident.
MOL expands bio-LNG bunkering to Mediterranean with Axpo
Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines has signed new supply agreements to expand the use of bio-LNG fuel on MOL-operated LNG-fuelled car carriers. Titan, part of Molgas, will supply bio-LNG fuel in Northwest Europe, while Axpo will take charge of supply in the Mediterranean region, where new agreement enables bio-LNG bunkering at Spanish ports including Malaga and Barcelona.
Barzan blast reframes Ras Laffan's restart risk
No LNG carriers are at the Ras Laffan berths and no loadings under way, our vessel tracking data shows, and Sunday night's explosion and fire at the Barzan plant points to a slower return to market for the complex than its recent restart signals had implied.
