QatarEnergy extends LNG force majeure to Pakistan, Bangladesh and Italy

QatarEnergy has notified European and Asian buyers that LNG cargo cancellations will continue as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely restricted amid ongoing security concerns, according to Bloomberg and Reuters.QatarEnergy has extended force majeure on liquefied natural gas (LNG) deliveries to buyers in Asia and Europe as disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz continue, according to Bloomberg and Reuters.Bloomberg reported on Friday that QatarEnergy notified Pakistani buyers this week that LNG cargo cancellations would continue into October, while force majeure on supplies to Bangladesh has been extended beyond September. Other European buyers have also begun receiving notices, the report said.Italian utility Edison confirmed on Friday that QatarEnergy had extended the suspension of its LNG deliveries until early November.“QatarEnergy has informed Edison that it will not be able to deliver an additional five LNG cargoes scheduled for the Adriatic LNG receiving terminal in Italy. This will effectively extend the overall force majeure period from beginning of April to early November 2026,” Edison said in a press release.This brings the total number of affected cargoes to 29, Edison said. The company said it had secured alternative supplies to meet its commitments.The latest extensions come as Qatari LNG exports remain severely constrained.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.Missile attacks on QatarEnergy’s Ras Laffan facilities in March subsequently damaged infrastructure.QatarEnergy President and CEO and Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said Iranian missile strikes on Ras Laffan had reduced Qatar’s LNG export capacity by 17 per cent.In July, the Qatari LNG tanker Al Rekayyat was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, with Qatar saying Iran was responsible. The vessel was struck on its port side and its crew was safely evacuated.