Pakistan is seeking to buy liquefied natural gas for delivery this week as a string of attacks in the Strait of Hormuz disrupts flows of the super-chilled fuel.
State-owned Pakistan LNG released a tender over the weekend seeking to procure a shipment for June 30 to July 4 delivery, with offers due on Monday, according to a document on its website.
The unusually prompt purchase request underscores how buyers remain unable to count on cargoes transiting Hormuz, a key conduit for about a fifth of the world’s LNG. Pakistan has been grappling with an energy shortfall since the war disrupted shipments from its top supplier, Qatar, forcing purchases of pricier fuel fuel from the spot market over the past few months.
On Saturday a ship carrying Qatari oil was attacked in the strait, days after a Singapore-flagged container ship was hit. Following the strikes, the Joint Maritime Information Center — which liaises between navies and merchant shipping — raised its threat level in the region to substantial.
Transits of inbound and outbound LNG carriers through the waterway have paused since then, ship-tracking data show. That includes an empty LNG tanker that was heading into the Persian gulf via the strait before U-turning on Friday. It has remained in the Gulf of Oman.
It isn’t guaranteed that Pakistan will purchase a shipment, and the country often scraps tenders if a delivery from Qatar is freed up or the prices are too high.
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