QatarEnergy extends LNG delivery cancellations into November as Hormuz disruption persists

QatarEnergy has extended its force majeure declaration on liquefied natural gas (LNG) deliveries to customers in Europe and Asia, as regular shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains largely suspended. Italian utility Edison said QatarEnergy would be unable to deliver five more LNG cargoes scheduled between late September and early November. That brings the total number of cargoes affected under Edison's contract since April to 29, equivalent to around 3.8 billion cubic metres of gas. Edison said it has already replaced 21 of those cargoes and remains able to meet its commitments to customers.

QatarEnergy has reportedly told buyers in Pakistan that cancellations will continue into October, while Bangladesh will also face continued disruption beyond September. Other European buyers have started receiving similar notices. QatarEnergy first declared force majeure in March and has renewed it monthly since, as the disruption has dragged on far longer than initially expected.

Anne-Sophie Corbeau, a global research scholar at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy, said the situation is likely to persist without a political resolution, since QatarEnergy still has no reliable timeline for resuming normal exports.

How buyers are replacing Qatari gas

The disruption has pushed most Qatari LNG off the global market. Qatar exported only 18 cargoes in the first six months of the conflict, compared with 509 over the same period a year earlier, according to ICIS data — a decline estimated to have cost Qatar around $24 billion in lost sales. The United States, Canada, Nigeria and Malaysia have increased output to help fill the gap, though replacement supply has not covered the full shortfall. Some Asian markets have cut consumption, while Europe has drawn more heavily on storage rather than compete aggressively for costly spot cargoes.

Corbeau said the prolonged loss of Qatari and Emirati LNG could cause global trade volumes to fall in 2026 even as output rises elsewhere. She named Pakistan, Bangladesh and India as particularly exposed, while Japan is comparatively shielded thanks to broader long-term contracts.

Reopening the strait is only step one

The Strait of Hormuz carried around a fifth of global LNG trade before the war. QatarEnergy expects to restore output at its 12 undamaged production units within roughly two months of the strait being deemed secure, though repairs to two units damaged at Ras Laffan could take three to five years. A June memorandum between the US and Iran briefly allowed LNG traffic to resume, but renewed attacks soon disrupted it again. Corbeau said ensuring the strait stays consistently safe remains the key unresolved challenge.