At least nine LNG carriers today changed course away from the strait of Hormuz, although the number may be even higher as AIS transponder interference in the region has obfuscated shiptracking.
Of the nine, seven were empty heading towards the Mideast Gulf to load. Two recently loaded and turned away from the strait today (see table). The laden carriers are operated by state-owned QatarEnergy (QE), by far the largest LNG producer in the Mideast Gulf.
No LNG carriers were approaching the strait as of 19:00 GMT, shiptracking data from both Kpler and Vortexa show. The last laden LNG carrier to pass through Hormuz was the 155,000m³ Gaslog Shanghai at 11:00 GMT.
The strait of Hormuz stands between 82.6mn t/yr of LNG supply — or 291mn m³/d of pipeline gas equivalent — and international markets. Some 19pc of the world's LNG transited the waterway from the Mideast Gulf last month, Kpler data show.
Many carriers in the Mideast Gulf have had AIS transponder interference, adding to vessel traffic danger.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said today it had received reports from vessel officers of broadcasts informing that the strait has been closed, although it said the reports could not be independently verified.
Turkey and Egypt in the fallout
Beyond a potential Hormuz closure, regional conflict could spur LNG demand in Turkey and Egypt.
Egypt last reported Israeli gas imports at 681mn m³, or 22.7mn m³/d, in November. Israel has probably halted gas exports to Egypt as Israel's Karish and Leviathan gas fields have gone off line.This led to a stop in flows to Egypt in 2025.
Egyptian LNG demand could rise to a rate of 6.4mn t/yr, or one LNG cargo every four days. This could test Egyptian import capacity, and some cargoes could be imported through Jordan. But near-term regasification capacity will improve next week, as the 160,000m³ Energos Eskimo floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) is today heading to Egypt from a maintenance shipyard in Turkey.
Iran exported 576mn m³, or 18.6mn m³/d, of gas to Turkey in December. Should Tehran halt gas exports then Turkish demand could rise to a rate of 5.3mn t/yr of LNG, or one cargo every five days, to replace the lost Iranian gas.
| Hormuz LNG carrier diversions | ||
| Carrier | Diversion time (GMT) | Status |
| Al Sahla | 10:00 | Loaded |
| Mraikh | 11:00 | Loaded |
| LNG Abuja | 9:00 | Emtpy |
| Al Marrouna | 12:30 | Empty |
| Aseem | 9:45 | Empty |
| Broog | 9:15 | Empty |
| Onaiza | 9:45 | Empty |
| Taitar No.3 | 10:00 | Empty |
| Cool Explorer | 6:00 | Empty |
| — Kpler, Vortexa | ||
