A Qatari LNG tanker carrying about 81,936 metric tons of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) has arrived at Pakistan’s Port Qasim on Thursday after crossing the Strait of Hormuz, helping ease concerns over the country’s gas supplies amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict.
The Bahamas-flagged Al Marrouna berthed at Port Qasim’s Terminal 2 to unload a spot cargo shipment from QatarEnergy, Port Qasim Authority spokesperson Asad Warsi said.
Warsi had said earlier this week that the vessel was scheduled to reach the Pakistani port on Thursday.
According to news reports, the cargo originated from Qatar’s Ras Laffan terminal and the tanker crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Sept. 7 under a government-to-government arrangement between Pakistan and Qatar.
“The LNG tanker Al Marrouna arrived in the morning,” Warsi said. “The vessel berthed at Port Qasim (Terminal 2) to discharge a spot cargo shipment from QatarEnergy.”
The shipment comes as Pakistan faces pressure on energy supplies following the escalation of fighting between the United States and Iran.
Pakistan imports most of its fuel supplies from the Middle East through the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for global energy supplies.
Official figures show that Pakistan generally needs four to five LNG cargoes a month between April and August to keep its LNG-fired power plants, with a combined capacity of about 5,000 megawatts, operating.
The country received its most recent LNG shipment from Qatar in August, which was the eighth vessel to arrive since April.
Gas shortages contributed to power outages lasting six to 12 hours in several parts of Pakistan last month.
