Page 11 - MEOG Week 20 2021

MEOG PIPELINES & TRANSPORT MEOG

LNG shipments from

Qatar to UAE resume

QATAR/UAE REPORTS of an LNG tanker delivering its cargo Shipments of condensate from Qatar to the
to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Qatar UAE are also reported to have resumed. Accord-
illustrate the improvement in relations between ing to Refinitiv Eikon data cited by Reuters,
the two Middle Eastern countries. Qatari condensate exports to the UAE rose to
The Al Ghariya LNG tanker loaded a cargo at 1.7mn barrels in April, up from 287,000 bar-
Ras Laffan, Qatar, on May 10, and unloaded it at rels in February, the first month following the
Jebel Ali, in the UAE, on May 13. According to resumption of trade,
vessel-tracking data, the ship was on its way back Another LNG tanker, Al Gattara, that had
to Ras Laffan as of May 14. loaded the super-chilled fuel from Ras Laffan
This marks the first Qatari LNG cargo on May 5 had also initially signalled Jebel Ali as
shipped to the UAE since May 2017. The UAE its destination but was diverted to Asia, Reuters
and three other countries in the region – Saudi cited a Kpler analyst, Rebecca Chia, as saying.
Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt – severed diplomatic She added that both Al Ghariya and Al Gattara
relations with Qatar in mid-2017, alleging that are on long-term charter to Qatargas.
Doha supported terrorism, though Qatar denied Meanwhile, Argus Media reported separately
the charge. that the resumption of relations between Qatar
Relations were restored at the start of 2021, and the UAE had not yet resulted in a rise in
with the countries agreeing to “fully” set their demand for marine fuel at the bunkering hub of
differences aside. Fujairah, contrary to analyst expectations.
As a result, the UAE has opened up all of its It had been anticipated that demand from the
entry ports to Qatar, and LNG trade between the Qatari LNG fleet would boost bunker sales by
two countries can resume. Prior to the dispute, around 2mn tonnes per year (tpy), but this has
Qatar was a regular exporter of LNG to the UAE not happened, which is being attributed to Qatar
during the summer, when gas demand for power improving its own bunkering infrastructure dur-
generation increases. ing the blockade.™

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