Qatar Imports 33 American LNG Cargoes After Iran Damages Ras Laffan

Qatar has purchased 33 cargoes of American liquefied natural gas on the spot market so far in 2026, a sharp rise from just four cargoes in all of 2025, as QatarEnergy works to honor its supply contracts after Iranian missile attacks damaged the Ras Laffan liquefaction complex. Ship-tracking data from analytics firm Kpler, cited by Oilprice.com on July 30, shows all 33 cargoes were supplied by U.S. exporter Venture Global; 28 have already been delivered, while five remain in transit to South Korea, Taiwan and India. Ras Laffan, the world's single largest LNG-producing facility, was struck during the war with Iran that began in February. Repairs are expected to take up to five years, with lost revenue estimated at roughly 20 billion dollars a year over that period. In the aftermath of the strikes, QatarEnergy declared force majeure on its LNG deliveries, while the closure of the Strait of Hormuz further disrupted exports from the Gulf. Qatar's long-term contracts are concentrated among Asian buyers, including Japan, South Korea, India, Bangladesh and Taiwan, and the spot purchases of American gas allow Doha to keep supplying those customers despite the outage at home. The arrangement marks a striking reversal for Qatar, which has long ranked among the world's largest LNG exporters and now finds itself buying U.S. cargoes to bridge the gap. By absorbing the cost of replacement volumes rather than leaving contracted buyers short, QatarEnergy is moving to protect the commercial relationships in Asia that anchor its export business, at a moment when the conflict has raised questions among buyers about the reliability of Middle East supply.