QatarEnergy-controlled tanker first vessel to exit Hormuz in three weeks

SINGAPORE — A QatarEnergy-controlled liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker exited the Strait of Hormuz overnight, marking the first such vessel visible on ship-tracking data to leave the key waterway since July 11, according to data from analytics firms on Thursday.

The Al Areesh tanker, which loaded a cargo at Qatar’s Ras Laffan terminal between July 4 and 6, sailed out of the strait overnight on July 29, based on data from Kpler and LSEG.

The vessel is currently heading to Port Qasim in Pakistan, with an estimated arrival date of July 31, LSEG data showed.

The departure was the first time a QatarEnergy-controlled LNG tanker had exited the Strait of Hormuz since the Al Rekayyat was struck in early July.

The previous LNG tanker to leave the waterway was the Al Hamra, which departed on July 11 carrying cargo loaded at the United Arab Emirates’ Das Island, according to Kpler data.

Separately, the Mraweh LNG tanker, which was last detected outside the Strait of Hormuz while in ballast on July 24, reappeared inside the strait on Thursday, Kpler and LSEG data showed. The ADNOC Gas-controlled vessel remained in ballast, according to Kpler.

QatarEnergy and ADNOC did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside business hours.

Twelve commodity ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, with six vessels entering and six exiting, according to Kpler data. The number increased from the previous two days.

Bab el-Mandeb

Nineteen commodity ships passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Wednesday, down from the number of transits recorded on Monday and Tuesday, Kpler data showed. LSEG recorded 26 transits.

Of the 19 ships tracked by Kpler, eight entered the strait while 11 exited. Among those leaving, four were crude oil tankers.

Some vessels may still be operating with their transponders turned off and are not included in the counts.

Visible crude oil loadings from the Red Sea port of Yanbu fell by at least 30% last week after Yemen’s Houthis declared a blockade on Saudi Arabia, according to Kpler and AXSMarine data. However, Vortexa estimated that exports remained broadly stable, citing an increase in so-called dark tanker loadings.

“We have observed a clear increase in the number of crude/condensate tankers heading north after loading in the Red Sea. The shift reflects the renewed security risk around Bab el-Mandeb,” said Vortexa analyst George Morris.

“Cargoes loaded at Yanbu accounted for around 15% of Asia’s seaborne crude/condensate imports in June, so any sustained disruption has meaningful implications for Asian refiners.”

-Reporting by Emily Chow and Siyi Liu in Singapore; Editing by Saad Sayeed/Reuters