Qatar has reportedly paused plans to rapidly revive liquefied natural gas output at Ras Laffan after one of its LNG tankers was hit near the Strait of Hormuz, turning the latest U.S.-Iran escalation into a direct threat to global gas supply.
The move, reported by Bloomberg via the Financial Post, comes after the Qatari LNG tanker Al Rekayyat was struck Tuesday in the waterway. QatarEnergy officials held meetings after the attack, and Chief Executive Saad Al-Kaabi decided to stop plans to increase output at the Ras Laffan complex, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.
Operations at the facility will be kept at minimum levels for safety reasons, and fewer vessels are expected to dock there in the coming days, according to the report. QatarEnergy did not immediately comment.
Hormuz Shipping Risk Is Now Hitting LNG
The pause is significant because Qatar is one of the world’s largest LNG exporters, and Ras Laffan is central to global gas supply. Bloomberg reported that Qatar had been trying to bring production back after earlier war damage, but the latest tanker strike made the route through Hormuz look too risky again.
The timing is ugly for energy buyers. Asian LNG spot prices are already far above prewar levels, and European benchmark gas prices rose Thursday as traders reassessed whether Gulf exports can recover quickly.
The tanker attack also undercuts the idea that the June U.S.-Iran memorandum had stabilized the strait. That agreement was supposed to allow commercial vessels to move safely through Hormuz for a temporary 60-day period, but ship operators are now behaving as if the corridor remains an active war zone.
Reuters Says Tanker Traffic Is Nearly Stopped
Reuters reported Thursday that oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was at a near standstill after renewed U.S. airstrikes on Iran and Iranian retaliation in the Gulf. Kpler data cited by Reuters showed only two tankers had crossed the strait in the early hours of Thursday.
Shipping sources told Reuters that more vessels are switching off public AIS tracking transponders, making the real picture harder to read. But the market signal is clear: insurers, shipowners, and charterers are pulling back until the security situation changes.
“Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has essentially stopped,” Jorge Leon, head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy, wrote in a report quoted by Reuters.
U.S.-Iran Strikes Keep Escalating
The energy disruption follows another round of U.S. and Iranian military action. The Associated Press, via the Los Angeles Times, reported that the United States hit 90 targets across Iran, while Tehran responded by targeting U.S.-allied countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Jordan.
CBS News also reported that shipping through Hormuz had stalled Thursday, citing Kpler data showing only a handful of tanker transits after Wednesday’s escalation.
The United Nations has warned that renewed attacks in the strait could widen the war and worsen energy volatility. UN News reported that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the renewed strikes and counterstrikes alarming, while the International Maritime Organization urged maximum restraint after merchant vessels were hit.
Why This Matters
Until now, much of the immediate focus has been on whether U.S. and Iranian strikes would resume full-scale war. The Qatar LNG pause shows the crisis is already affecting the energy system even without a formal declaration that the ceasefire has collapsed.
If Ras Laffan cannot ramp up, Europe and Asia may face tighter LNG competition heading into winter. If Hormuz traffic remains near standstill, oil and gas markets could price in a longer disruption. And if more high-value LNG carriers are targeted, insurers may make the route even harder and more expensive to use.
That makes the Al Rekayyat attack more than another ship strike. It may be the point where the Hormuz crisis starts translating directly into delayed LNG cargoes, tighter winter supply, and a much harder path back to normal shipping.