Qatari LNG Tanker Transits Hormuz First Since War

A Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, marking the first such export from the country since the war with Iran began in late February, according to shiptracking data from multiple providers including Bloomberg, Kpler and LSEG.

The Al Kharaitiyat, a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel owned by Qatar's Nakilat and loaded earlier this month at the Ras Laffan export plant, exited the strait via the northern route along Iran's coast near Qeshm and Larak islands. It is now in the Gulf of Oman and bound for Port Qasim in Pakistan, with an expected arrival around May 11. The cargo fulfills a contract between Qatar and Pakistan, which relies on Doha for nearly all its LNG imports.

The passage followed days of negotiations involving Iranian, Pakistani and Qatari officials, people briefed on the talks said. Iran approved the transit to help address Pakistan's gas shortages, coordinating safe passage with its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. "Our leadership sought consent from Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on this," one Pakistani official said. Pakistan expects three additional Qatari LNG vessels, including the Mihzem, to...