Tankers set to load liquefied petroleum gas from the Middle East redirected to fill up in the United States, ship tracking data showed, the latest signs of shipping and supply disruptions stemming from an escalating US-Israeli war with Iran.
Tanker Gas Bombax, which was previously signaling Qatar Ras Laffan, redirected in the Gulf of Oman and was now signaling Marcus Hook Terminal, operated by Energy Transfer, on the east coast of the United States, according to data from LSEG and Kpler.
The ship was originally chartered by BP to load in the Middle East between March 7 and 8 for delivery to Asia, Kpler said in a note. The vessel arrived in the Gulf of Oman on February 27 and was anchored in the region after the war began.
Qatar declared force majeure on gas exports on Wednesday amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, with sources saying it may take at least a month to return to normal production volumes.
Very large gas carrier BW Kizoku, which was headed to Kuwait's Mina al-Ahmadi, also redirected on Thursday and was now signaling Houston, Texas. The tanker was chartered by E1 Corporation for China, according to Kpler data.
A third vessel, Gas Capricorn, also turned around and was anchored in the Arabian Sea, ship tracking data showed.
No LPG tankers have crossed the Strait of Hormuz since March 1, with empty vessels that were heading to load piling up at the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, Kpler noted.
More tankers came under attack in Persian Gulf waters on Thursday. A Bahamas-flagged crude oil tanker was targeted by an Iranian remote-controlled boat laden with explosives while anchored near Iraq's Khor al Zubair port, while a second tanker at anchor off Kuwait was taking on water and spilling oil after a large explosion on its port side.
(Reporting by Arathy Somasekhar in Houston)
