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(Reuters) – QatarEnergy is offering 10 liquefied natural gas tankers for lease, two industry sources told Reuters, after the world’s second-largest LNG exporter announced a production halt at its 77 million ton per annum (mtpa) facility and shipping rates soared, as the U.S.-Iran conflict heads into its second week. Qatari Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi told the Financial Times it would take “weeks to months” to return to normal deliveries, even if the war ended today. The company declared force majeure on LNG shipments on Wednesday. The production halt has intensified competition between the Atlantic and Pacific basins for LNG cargoes, sending European and Asian gas prices and LNG freight rates to multi-year highs.
The vessels offered for lease include at least three Q-Flex tankers, with a capacity of approximately 210,000 cubic metres, which are able to carry up to 50% more volume than conventional LNG tankers and are typically used by Qatargas to export its LNG to Europe or Asia.
The others are dual-fuel, two-stroke engine vessels with a capacity of 174,000 cubic metres. Most of the vessels are offered for prompt lease and some from mid-March.
LNG freight rates have soared this week, with Atlantic rates hitting a new week-on-week record, increasing by $221,500/day to $264,250/day, the highest since December 2022, according to data from Spark Commodities. Pacific rates followed suit and rose to $219,250/day.
Reporting by Marwa Rashad; editing by Kirsten Donovan
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