QatarEnergy Extends LNG Force Majeure Amid Ongoing Shipping Disruptions

QatarEnergy has announced that it will continue to cancel liquefied natural gas (LNG) deliveries to several countries due to ongoing security concerns and disruptions in shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The company has extended its force majeure on LNG supplies to Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Italy.

The latest extension affects five additional LNG cargoes scheduled for delivery to the Adriatic LNG receiving terminal in Italy, bringing the total number of affected cargoes to 29. Italian utility Edison confirmed that QatarEnergy had informed it that the suspension of deliveries would continue until early November 2026.

QatarEnergy first suspended LNG operations and declared force majeure on March 4, following the outbreak of the war between the US and Iran and disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The company's president and CEO, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, said that Iranian missile strikes on QatarEnergy's Ras Laffan facilities had reduced Qatar's LNG export capacity by 17 per cent.

The Qatari LNG tanker Al Rekayyat was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz in July, with Qatar attributing responsibility to Iran. The vessel was struck on its port side and its crew was safely evacuated.