Qatari LNG Tanker Sailing Towards Hormuz Strait
LNG carriers at the Qatari LNG export facility at Ras Laffan. Photo: RasGas
Qatari LNG Tanker Sailing Towards Hormuz Strait
Reuters
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May 9, 2026
May 9 (Reuters) – Qatari LNG tanker Al Kharaitiyat was sailing towards the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday after departing
Qatar’s Ras Laffan
en route to Port Qasim in Pakistan, according to LSEG shipping data.
A successful passage would mark the first transit by a Qatari LNG tanker through the strait since the start of the war on Iran. There was no immediate comment from QatarEnergy.
The LNG is being sold by Qatar to Pakistan –
a mediator in the war
– under a government-to-government deal, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Middle East April bunker fuel demand shifts as Hormuz shipping risks unsettle trade flows
Middle East April bunker fuel demand shifts as Hormuz shipping risks unsettle trade flows
in
International Shipping News
09/05/2026
Bunker fuel demand across key Middle Eastern ports declined in April as the war created uncertainty about ship movement and constrained fuel supply, although activity at some Omani ports recovered gradually, five market participants, including traders and suppliers, told Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, May 6.
Fujairah and Dubai bunkering demand was subdued throughout April as ship movement through the Strait of Hormuz slowed amid a bearish market outlook due to the war, two traders covering Middle East markets said May 6.
“We haven’t seen any demand in April at Fujairah and Jebel Ali ports. The vessels currently roaming in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as those heading to Qatar and Kuwait, are consuming bunker fuel, but apart from that, we are not observing much vessel movement, and inquiries are also not strong,” a Dubai-based trader said May 6.
Total
UK Deploys Warship To Middle East For Potential Hormuz Mission
The HMS Dragon during ammunitioning operations at Upper Harbour Ammunitioning Facility (UHAF) in Portsmouth Harbour, March 4, 2026. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso
UK Deploys Warship To Middle East For Potential Hormuz Mission
Reuters
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May 9, 2026
LONDON, May 9 (Reuters) – Britain said on Saturday it was deploying its warship HMS Dragon to the Middle East in preparation for a potential multinational effort to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz once conditions allow.
HMS Dragon
, an air defense destroyer, was sent to the Eastern Mediterranean in March, shortly after the start of the Iran war, to help defend Cyprus.
Its relocation to the Middle East follows a move by France to
deploy its carrier strike group
to the southern Red Sea, as the two countries work together on a defensive plan aimed at restoring confidence in the trade route.
“The pre-positioning of HMS Dragon is part of prudent planning that will ensure that the UK is ready, as part of a multinational coalition jointl
GMS Week 19 – BRENT BREAKS, BACKLOG HOLDS
GMS Week 19 – BRENT BREAKS, BACKLOG HOLDS
in
Weekly Demolition Reports
09/05/2026
The Week 18 thesis that the blockade had hardened into a structural reality has been challenged,
though not overturned, by the most consequential diplomatic move since February 28. Brent collapsed from the April 30 high of USD 126.41 to USD 96.73 on May 6, settling near USD 100 by May 7, after Axios reported a one-page MoU transmitted from Washington to Tehran via Pakistan. President Trump suspended “Project Freedom,” the U.S.
Tanker Market: The Switch From Clean to Dirty Tankers Is Intensifying
Tanker Market: The Switch From Clean to Dirty Tankers Is Intensifying
in
Hellenic Shipping News
11/05/2026
A
significant trend is underway in the tanker market, with a switch from clean to dirty tankers underway. In its latest weekly report, shipbroker Gibson said that “clean to dirty switching first gathered pace in the fourth quarter of 2025 with recent geopolitical developments further accelerating dirty ups in recent months. With the outbreak of war paralysing the Middle East Gulf, approximately 2.4mbd of clean products have been removed from the tanker market.
First Qatar LNG Shipment Moves Through Hormuz Since War Started
LNG Tanker at the North Field, which lies north-east off the Qatar peninsula, is the biggest natural gasfield in the world. Image Via Qatargas
First Qatar LNG Shipment Moves Through Hormuz Since War Started
Bloomberg
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May 10, 2026
By Stephen Stapczynski and Weilun Soon (Bloomberg) A
tanker carrying liquefied natural gas from Qatar
appears to have transited the Strait of Hormuz, marking the country’s first export out of the region since the Iran war began.
The Al Kharaitiyat, which loaded at the Ras Laffan export plant earlier this month, exited the strait and is in the Gulf of Oman, ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg shows. The vessel lists Pakistan as its next destination, according to the data.
The ship appears to have navigated the Tehran-approved northern route that hugs the Iranian coast through the strait, the data showed.
The effective closure of the waterway has choked off global LNG supplies, sending prices higher and causing shortages across Asia.
EU opens legal recycling route for shadow fleet tankers, sanctions maze constrains impact
EU opens legal recycling route for shadow fleet tankers, sanctions maze constrains impact
in
International Shipping News
11/05/2026
New EU rules will provide a legal channel for recycling shadow fleet tankers, according to industry participants and analysts, even though their actual impact could be limited by the complex international sanctions network.
In its 20th sanctions package against Russia, adopted April 23, Brussels announced an exemption for companies to deal with EU-sanctioned ships if they were to be sent to scrapyards.
“The scrapping clause is a constructive addition,” Dimitris Roumeliotis, a research analyst at Xclusiv Shipbrokers, told Platts, part of S&P Global Energy. “Ιt creates a legitimate pathway for vessels to exit the shadow fleet through recycling.”
In recent years, Russia, Iran and Venezuela have partnered with shadow fleet operators to acquire tens of hundreds of aged tankers to maintain their energy sales in circumvention of Western sanctions.
Many shipping p
HD Hyundai Robotics Secures Order for Robotic Welding Solutions from Chouest Group, Establishing a Strategic Foothold for Global Smart Yard Expansion
HD Hyundai Robotics Secures Order for Robotic Welding Solutions from Chouest Group, Establishing a Strategic Foothold for Global Smart Yard Expansion
in
Shipbuilding News
11/05/2026
As a proven case of implementing the advancement and productivity innovation of the shipbuilding industry envisioned by the MASGA initiative, HD Hyundai Robotics, the robot manufacturing and solutions subsidiary of HD Hyundai, has made a full-scale entry into the U.S. shipyard automation market and established a strategic foothold for expanding its global shipbuilding automation business. This breakthrough was driven through HD Hyundai Robotics USA, Inc., the company’s U.S.
Shipping firms are being whipsawed by changing stances and risks as they wait for Hormuz to reopen
Shipping firms are being whipsawed by changing stances and risks as they wait for Hormuz to reopen
in
International Shipping News
11/05/2026
With hundreds of vessels still stuck in the Persian Gulf and costs piling up, shipping companies are being whipsawed by uncertainty over how and when the Strait of Hormuz might reopen more than two months into the Iran war.
On Sunday, President Donald Trump announced “Project Freedom,” a way for the U.S. to “guide” ships to exit the strait. Two ships made the transit, but by Tuesday Trump abruptly paused the effort to allow time for a deal to end the war.
Meanwhile, the risks for ships and crew haven’t faded.
Force Majeure in the Age of Geopolitical Shock and Energy Security
Force Majeure in the Age of Geopolitical Shock and Energy Security
in
International Shipping News
11/05/2026
A
s the Strait of Hormuz enters its eleventh week of effective closure with hundreds of vessels at anchor and roughly one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil trade at a standstill, a recurring question asked by industry leaders globally is: does this trigger force majeure? The answer depends on the precise wording of the force majeure clause and the context in which the contract was concluded. We take a closer look at the position under English law, which governs a large proportion of the world’s shipping and energy contracts.
Ongoing Geopolitical Disruption – A New Normal
The Strait of Hormuz crisis did not arrive in a vacuum. It follows the Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, the rerouting of global trade around the Cape of Good Hope and the cascading effects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on energy supply chains.
For shipowners, charterers, commodity traders and energy companie