LNG shipments from Qatar to UAE to resume, signaling improving ties

An LNG cargo is on its way from Qatar to Dubai for the first time since 2017. (AFP)

• Qatar has also resumed monthly exports of condensate to the UAE

DUBAI: A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker that loaded cargo from Qatar is signaling the UAE as its destination, the first such shipment since mid-2017, reflecting improving ties between the countries.
LNG tankers sometimes change destination, but if the shipment is completed, this would be the first time a Qatari LNG cargo has been shipped to the UAE since May 2017, ship-tracking data from Refinitiv Eikon and data intelligence firm Kpler showed.
The UAE and other countries in the region severed relations with Qatar in mid-2017 over accusations that Doha supports terrorism, a charge that it denies.
But the UAE re-opened all its land, sea and air entry points with Qatar this year after Saudi Arabia announced a breakthrough in ending a dispute between Gulf Arab states and Qatar at a summit. Before the dispute, Qatar was a regular exporter of LNG to the UAE during the summer, when demand for power generation increases. read more
The tanker, Al Ghariya, loaded a cargo from Ras Laffan on May 10 and is at anchor but is showing that it is due to discharge the cargo in Jebel Ali, in the UAE, on May 13, data showed on Wednesday.
Another LNG tanker, Al Gattara, which had loaded from Ras Laffan on May 5 had also initially signaled Jebel Ali as its destination but diverted to Asia, Kpler analyst Rebecca Chia said.
Both tankers are on long-term charter to Qatargas, she added.
Qatar has also resumed monthly exports of condensate to the UAE since February, shipping data on Refinitiv Eikon showed.
Qatari condensate exports to the UAE jumped to 1.7 million barrels in April, up from 287,000 barrels in February, the data showed.