Qatar resumes LNG loading, tanker bound for Bangladesh: Bloomberg
Qatar appears to have loaded its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes since halting fuel production and declaring an unprecedented force majeure, with one tanker signalling Bangladesh as its next destination, Bloomberg reports.
The tanker Lebrethah departed Qatar's Ras Laffan export terminal on Friday with an increased draft level, indicating a loaded cargo, and is heading toward Bangladesh, with an estimated arrival on March 14, according to shipping data cited by the report.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. A second cargo was loaded aboard Al Ghashamiya earlier this week and is currently waiting in the Persian Gulf.
Whether either shipment reaches its destination, however, remains uncertain. The Strait of Hormuz, the critical chokepoint through which roughly a fifth of the world's LNG supplies normally pass, remains effectively closed to commercial vessels due to continued hostilities in the region.
The Lebrethah may serve as floating storage until the route reopens, Bloomberg said.
Earlier, Qatar shut the world’s biggest LNG export plant, Ras Laffan, following an Iranian drone assault. Even before that, Hormuz had all but ground to a halt, with the route normally accounting for about a fifth of the world’s LNG supplies.
A spokesperson for QatarEnergy did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the loading or destination.
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