Qatar LNG Force Majeure Extended to November as Hormuz Blockade Continues to Suppress Supply
Nashnova编辑部
QatarEnergy has extended LNG force majeure notices as far out as early November, with the Strait of Hormuz still closed to its tankers; European and Asian spot prices have nearly doubled from pre-conflict levels, and winter competition for scarce cargoes is building.
How far has the force majeure been extended — and who is affected?
QatarEnergy notified Pakistani buyers this week that cargo cancellations will continue through October; force majeure for Bangladesh has been pushed past September.
In Europe, Italy's Edison SpA said its cancellation notice now runs to early November; other European traders have received similar extensions.
This means → what began as a temporary measure has become a months-long, cross-continental systematic supply cutoff.
Crude can be "shuttled" through the strait — why can't LNG?
A growing number of oil tankers use a shuttle system: smaller vessels carry crude through the Strait of Hormuz and transfer it to larger ships waiting outside.
LNG carriers cannot replicate this. In plain terms = crude can be poured between containers like water; LNG requires cryogenic sealed tanks, making mid-voyage transfers impractical in both cost and engineering.
Rystad Energy analyst Masanori Odaka notes that LNG ships are scarcer, more valuable, and tightly linked to state-owned producers — "the stakes of sending them through with transponders off are far higher than for crude tankers."
What triggered the blockade in the first place?
Qatar effectively halted LNG shipments through Hormuz after two LNG carriers were attacked in July.
The Ras Laffan liquefaction complex was hit in a March attack and forced to cut output; it is running at low capacity, ready to ramp up once the strait reopens.
This reflects a deliberate strategy: protect ships and facilities, wait for the corridor to clear, rather than risk forced sailings.
How much have prices risen — and what happens this winter?
The supply squeeze has pushed European and Asian LNG spot prices to nearly twice pre-conflict levels.
The Strait of Hormuz carried roughly one-fifth of global LNG supply last year; its continued closure is straining the entire supply map.
This means → as winter approaches, Europe and Asia will compete for the same shrinking pool of cargoes, adding further upward pressure on prices — when the strait reopens is now the single most important variable for this winter's gas bills.
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