Ship tracking data showed on Tuesday that the monthly number of loaded liquefied natural gas tankers leaving the Strait of Hormuz in October reached its highest level since the conflict between the United States and Iran disrupted shipping this year, with 31 tankers crossing, including 23 that were loaded in Ras Laffan in Qatar and eight tankers in Das Island in the Emirates. This improvement in maritime traffic comes after months of restrictions imposed by the conflict on one of the most important waterways in the world.

Published on: 10/11/2026 - 08:50

Ship tracking data revealed that the monthly number of loaded LNG tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz in October reached its highest level since the conflict between the United States and Iran disrupted shipping this year.

Standard & Poor's Global Energy data reported that 31 liquefied natural gas tankers crossed this vital waterway last month, including 23 tankers that were loaded in Ras Laffan, Qatar, and eight on Das Island in the Emirates.

The data indicated that October exports were the highest since February, which witnessed the outbreak of war, and rose compared to the number recorded in September, which amounted to 23 ships that left the Strait. Eric Yip, an analyst at Standard & Poor's Global Energy, said: "We are witnessing the UAE's return to pre-war transit levels, while Qatar's pre-war crossing of the Strait of Hormuz exceeds 30 percent."

Ship tracking data from Kpler showed that 42 shipments of liquefied natural gas were loaded in October, up from 27 shipments in September. According to Kpler data, these changes come at a time when loading operations in Ras Laffan during October reached 35 shipments, exceeding 2.7 million tons, which is the highest level since the start of the war. Qatar exported nearly 6.2 million tons in February.

Ship-to-ship transfers off Oman

Kpler data showed that two of the ships that were carrying liquefied natural gas from Ras Laffan and exited the strait conducted ship-to-ship transfers off the coast of Marsa Sohar in the Sultanate of Oman. The ship (SC Prestige) transferred the liquefied natural gas to the ship (BWEN Crystal Sky), which is now heading to South Korea.

The ship (Al-Mavir) transferred its cargo of liquefied natural gas to the ships (Shandong Redwood) and (Ijnan), which delivered the gas to Pakistan. Kpler data showed that exports from Das Island amounted to seven loadings in October, unchanged from September.

France 24/Reuters

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