At least three Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers have been observed to be stalled off the coast of Oman due to recent clashes in the Red Sea.
Houthis in Yemen have targeted commercial ships in the Red Sea in retaliation for Israel’s attacks on Gaza since late last year. In response, many shipping companies decided to stop their voyages through this route.
According to the information compiled by Anadolu from shipping data, the positions of Qatar’s Al Ghariya, Al Huwaila and Al Nuaman LNG tankers have not been recently updated.
The Al Ghariya LNG ship last signaled its position from the Gulf of Oman at 6.38 p.m. local time (15.38 GMT) on Jan. 12. The Al Huwaila tanker also updated its position at the Omani border at 1 a.m. local time (23.00 GMT) on Jan. 14.
The Al Nuaman LNG tanker was last sighted north of Oman at 1.17 p.m. local time (10.17 GMT) on Jan. 12.
Another Qatari LNG vessel, Al Rekayyat, which is believed to have stopped in the middle of the Red Sea, has not relayed its position since Jan. 10.
Experts in recent weeks have noted that many LNG tankers have begun to avoid the Red Sea route, opting instead to sail around the Cape of Good Hope.
This alternative route can add nine days to the journey, as observed when Qatari cargo that crossed the Suez Canal in 18 days can now take around 27 days to travel around South Africa to reach northwestern European countries like the UK.
However, Qatari officials have not yet made any official announcements on these developments.
