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

May 22, 2026 11:32 AM EDT

By Marwa Rashad

LONDON, May ‌22 (Reuters) - 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.

(Reporting by Marwa Rashad; Editing by ‌Barbara Lewis)



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