From the Liveblog of
Saturday, May 9, 2026
Qatari LNG tanker sailing towards Strait of Hormuz, shipping data shows
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleQatari LNG tanker Al Kharaitiyat is sailing toward the Strait of Hormuz 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 Iran war. There is no immediate comment from QatarEnergy.
The vessel, managed by Nakilat Shipping Qatar Ltd and sailing under the Marshall Islands flag, has a cargo capacity of 211,986 cubic meters, according to LSEG data.
Qatar-owned LNG Carrier "Al Kharaitiyat" approaching the Strait of Hormuz, could be the first non-Iranian linked Tanker allowed to pass in days, if it doesn't stop before.
Destination: Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/JT9fkYa8aB
— MenchOsint (@MenchOsint) May 9, 2026
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards halted two Qatar LNG tankers, Al Daayen and Rasheeda, that had been heading toward the Strait of Hormuz on April 6 and instructed them to hold position without explanation, a source told Reuters at the time.
Qatar is the world’s second-largest exporter of LNG, with shipments mostly going to buyers in Asia. Iranian attacks knocked out 17 percent of Qatar’s LNG export capacity, with repairs expected to sideline 12.8 million tons per year of the fuel for three to five years.
The Times of Israel Community.