Three more LNG tankers exit Hormuz dark, taking wartime transits to 12

Reuters reported that the three vessels, two controlled by QatarEnergy and one managed by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), re-emerged on ship-tracking data on 10 June after weeks of silence. All three are heading east, toward buyers in Pakistan, Southeast Asia, and India. Including these vessels, 12 LNG cargoes have now left the strait since the war began.

The vessels went dark because the security situation in the Gulf has deteriorated sharply. The United States and Iran exchanged air strikes for a second consecutive day on Thursday, and Washington reported firing on a ship carrying Iranian oil. Platts reported that the tankers cleared the strait with their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders off, a tactic Bloomberg noted traders are now monitoring closely as they track so-called 'dark ships' through the chokepoint.

What this means for UK gas buyers

None of these cargoes is bound for Europe, but the signal matters more than the destination. Qatari and Emirati LNG continuing to move through Hormuz, even covertly, eases the worst-case scenario of a full closure that would strand a large share of global LNG supply. The National Balancing Point (NBP) prices off global LNG availability, so every confirmed transit takes some risk premium out of the forward curve. If you're approaching a renewal, the gap between a passable strait and a closed one is the single biggest variable in where winter contracts price.

The chart below shows NBP day-ahead prices over recent months, giving a sense of how much Hormuz risk premium the market has already built in.

The three confirmed transits, per LSEG and Kpler data:

• Lebrethah (QatarEnergy): loaded at Ras Laffan on 22 May, en route to Pakistan
• Rasheeda (QatarEnergy): carrying a cargo loaded on 27 February, approaching Southeast Asia
• Marigold (ADNOC): loaded at Das Island on 25 May, indicating a destination in India

The Financial Times reported that the Qatari and Emirati tankers slipped out 'under radar', and neither QatarEnergy nor ADNOC responded promptly to requests for comment. The exact timing of each transit remains uncertain because the AIS gaps run to weeks: Lebrethah was last tracked west of the strait on 1 June, Rasheeda on 30 April.

Watch the pace of dark transits over the coming fortnight. If cargoes keep clearing Hormuz at the current rate, NBP forwards should hold their recent range; any confirmed strike on an LNG carrier, or a pause in Qatari loadings at Ras Laffan, would reprice the winter curve quickly. Buyers on flexible contracts should treat each verified transit as a data point, not a resolution.