First Qatari tanker crosses Hormuz since conflict began

A Qatari tanker loaded with liquid natural gas has crossed the Strait of Hormuz on its way to Pakistan, according to ship tracking data.

The ship - Al Kharaitiyat – is the first Qatari owned and operated tanker to have crossed the strait since the conflict between Iran and the United States began at the end of February, according to shipping analysts.

At 4 a.m. ET Sunday it was in the Gulf of Oman.

The vessel’s track shows that it transited Hormuz using the Iran-approved northern route near Qeshm island, according to the MarineTraffic tracking site.

“The passage of this Qatari oil tanker indicates that Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz continues,” the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim reported Sunday.

Al Kharaitiyat, which can carry more than 200,000 cubic meters of liquid gas, loaded at Qatar’s Ras Laffan export hub earlier this month.

Qatar normally supplies nearly 20% of the world’s LNG, but its production has been shut in and its main facility damaged during the conflict.