{
  "id": 7336088,
  "title": "Qatar LNG won’t return to normal when Hormuz reopens, executives say",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/qatar-lng-wont-return-to-normal-when-hormuz-reopens-executives-say-7336088",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-14T14:20:30.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/energy/2026/09/14/qatar-lng-wont-return-to-normal-when-hormuz-reopens-executives-say/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Reopening the Strait of Hormuz will not immediately restore Qatar and UAE liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to pre-war levels, according to gas executives. The damaged facilities and rising insurance costs will keep supplies constrained for months or years, with about 17% of Qatar’s LNG capacity currently offline due to Iranian strikes. QatarEnergy estimates repairs will take three to five years, meaning even a safe Hormuz reopening would only restore access to a partial portion of the prewar supply. Shell’s Cederic Cremers emphasized that \"reopening\" and \"restoration\" are two separate processes, and even with normalisation of the strait, supplies would not immediately return to pre-conflict levels. Shipping constraints remain, as the strait is the sole outlet for Qatari and Emirati LNG, with no alternative pipeline or seaborne routes. About a fifth of global LNG trade passed through the strait in 2024, primarily from Qatar and the UAE. High war-risk insurance costs and persistent security concerns have slowed the return of LNG tankers to the Gulf. As a result, 36 million tonnes of Qatari and Emirati supply has been absent from the market so far in 2025, with some 20 million tonnes offset by new volumes from the US and Canada, and the rest covered by demand destruction and storage draws. The global LNG market entered the February disruption with thinner spare liquefaction capacity than in previous years, leaving a replacement gap of about 10 million tonnes. While some of the volumes lost since early March have been absorbed, the IEF cautions that nominal spare capacity does not necessarily translate into deliverable LNG. Europe is particularly exposed before winter, with low gas storage levels and Asian buyers competing for replacement cargoes. Qatar is seeking multiyear US LNG contracts to 2031, indicating expectations of a prolonged shortfall beyond the reopening of Hormuz.",
  "summary": "Reopening the Strait of Hormuz will not return Qatari and UAE liquefied natural gas exports to normal, with damaged facilities and soaring insurance costs set to keep supplies constrained for months or years, gas executives said on Monday. About 17 per cent of Qatar’s LNG capacity is offline after Iranian strikes damaged two of its 14 export trains, removing 12.8 million tonnes a year from the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "Qatar LNG won’t return to normal when Hormuz reopens, executives say",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/qatar-lng-wont-return-to-normal-when-hormuz-reopens-executives-say",
        "published": "2026-09-14T14:20:30.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}