More liquefied natural gas cargoes loaded from Ras Laffan have reappeared outside the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend after transiting the waterway, extending a recent increase in Qatar's LNG traffic despite ongoing security risks linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Four LNG vessels carrying Qatari cargoes reappeared outside the Strait of Hormuz around October 2-3, according to Kpler and LSEG shiptracking data.
Three of the vessels - Bu Samra, Al Gattara and Al Sadd - are QatarEnergy-linked. Al Gattara is currently signalling for Zhejiang, China while Al Sadd delivered its cargo to the Dahej terminal in India on October 3.
The fourth vessel, Al Kharsaah, is managed by Seapeak Maritime, an independent owner and operator of gas carriers.
All four vessels were last seen inside the strait between September 18-27. Many vessels passing through the strait make "dark transits" by turning off their Automatic Identification System transponders to avoid detection.
Meanwhile, another LNG vessel, Al Marrouna, also managed by Seapeak Maritime, reappeared in ballast inside the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Qatar on October 2 after previously being tracked outside the waterway.
QatarEnergy and Seapeak Maritime both did not respond to requests for comment.
(Reporting by Emily Chow, Editing by Louise Heavens)