Third Qatari LNG tanker heads through Hormuz to China, data shows

A Third Qatari liquefied natural gas ‌tanker is transiting the Strait of Hormuz and heading to China, ship-tracking data showed on Friday, as a Qatari negotiating team arrived in Tehran to try to help secure a deal to end the ‌war with Iran.

A Third Qatari liquefied natural gas ‌tanker is transiting the Strait of Hormuz and heading to China, ship-tracking data showed on Friday, as a Qatari negotiating team arrived in Tehran to try to help secure a deal to end the ‌war with Iran. As shipments through the waterway continue to be erratic, this third transit ‌of a Qatari LNG tanker is taking place nearly two weeks after a first such cargo passed through the strait under an Iran-Pakistan arrangement.

The vessel, Al Sahla, with a capacity of 211,842 cubic metres, left Ras Laffan and ⁠is expected ​to arrive at ⁠China's Tianjin LNG terminal on June 14, according to LSEG shipping data. The previous two Qatari LNG tankers to make it ⁠through the Strait of Hormuz since U.S.-Israeli airstrikes unleashed the Iran war at the end of February were ​sold by Qatar to Pakistan under a government-to-government deal, according to two people familiar with the ⁠matter. The people said Iran approved the shipment to help build confidence between Qatar and Pakistan, which is mediating in peace ⁠talks. On ​Friday, a Qatari negotiating team arrived in Tehran in coordination with the United States to try to resolve outstanding issues, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on ⁠Friday. Qatar is the world's second-largest exporter of LNG, with shipments mostly going to buyers in Asia. ⁠Iranian attacks have destroyed ⁠17%, or 12.8 million metric tons per year, of Qatar's LNG export capacity. Repairs could take between three and five years, QatarEnergy's CEO and ‌state minister for ‌energy affairs has told Reuters.