Four tankers used for shipments of Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) have resumed course after pausing for several days amid maritime attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis in the Red Sea, LSEG shiptracking data showed on Tuesday.
The Houthi attacks, in what they call a bid to support
Palestinians in the war with Israel, have disrupted trade on the main East-West
route that makes up about 12% of global shipping traffic.
On Monday, the Houthi movement vowed to widen its targets in
the Red Sea region to U.S. ships, following U.S. and British strikes on its
sites in Yemen.
LNG tanker Al Rekayyat has resumed sailing through the Red
Sea and is heading to Qatar, the data showed, after having been stopped since
Jan. 13 along its Red Sea route.
The vessels Al Ghariya, Al Huwaila and Al Nuaman, loaded
with Qatari LNG, were also on the move, but had changed course to head south
even though they are still signalling the Suez Canal as their destinations, the
data showed.
Qatari LNG cargoes transiting Suez are typically headed for
Europe.
The three tankers had stopped off the coast of Oman since
Jan. 14.
The estimated time of arrival for the Al Nuaman was last
updated to Jan. 19 after an earlier two-week delay to Feb. 4, the data showed.
QatarEnergy did not immediately respond to requests for
comment outside official business hours.
Shipowners and managers of the four vessels, including
Teekay Shipping Glasgow, Pronav Ship Management and Nakilat Shipping Qatar Ltd
did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Shell (SHEL.L), opens new tab, which owns shipping and
chartering arm STASCO, manager of the Al Nuaman, declined to comment.
Vessels have been pausing or diverting from the Red Sea that
leads to the Suez Canal, the fastest route for freight from Asia to Europe.
LNG vessels are among the many ships forced to take the
longer route around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope instead.
Analysts estimate the Cape of Good Hope route could add
about nine days to the 18-day voyage from Qatar. A longer route would result in
delivery delays, but gas storage levels in Europe are healthy.
S&P estimates Qatari LNG cargoes through the canal at
14.8 million metric tons (MMt) a year, U.S. cargoes at 8.8 MMt and Russian ones
at 3.7 MMt.
Front-month European benchmark gas prices on the Dutch TTF
hub eased on Monday, as milder weather forecasts and well-filled storage helped
offset shipping concerns.
QatarEnergy, the world's second largest LNG exporter, has
stopped sending tankers via the Red Sea although production continues, a senior
source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Monday.
In 2023, Qatar exported more than 75 MMt of LNG, according
to LSEG data, including 14 MMt to buyers in Europe and 56.4 MMt to Asia.
Reuters