Qatar LNG Tanker Hormuz Crossing First Since War 2026 — But Markets Aren't Buying It

# Qatar LNG Tanker Crosses Hormuz for First Time Since War Started — But Markets Aren't Buying It

> **Quick answer:** Qatar's LNG tanker Al Kharaitiyat crossed the Strait of Hormuz on May 10, 2026 — the first successful LNG transit since the US-Iran war shut the waterway down on February 28. A second tanker followed May 11. Both crossings were individually approved by Iran under a Pakistan-brokered government-to-government deal. WTI crude remains near $99 and oil traders are not reading two tankers as a reopening. With only 2–5 ships per day transiting versus 120 pre-war, the strait remains functionally closed.

The Qatar LNG tanker Hormuz crossing on May 10, 2026 made global headlines — the first time any Qatari LNG vessel has successfully transited the strait since war began 72 days ago. But look at WTI at $97–$99 a barrel and you'll see what markets actually think: one tanker is not a reopening. It's a carefully negotiated exception, and the gap between the headline and the reality is exactly where financial risk lives right now.

## What Happened: The Al Kharaitiyat Transit

The Marshall Islands-flagged LNG carrier Al Kharaitiyat (IMO: 9397327), managed by Nakilat Shipping Qatar Ltd and carrying 211,986 cubic meters of LNG, departed Qatar's Ras Laffan terminal in early May. By Sunday evening, May 10, the vessel had cleared the Strait of Hormuz via Iran's approved northern corridor and was en route to Port Qasim, Pakistan.

A second Qatari tanker, the Mihzem (174,000 cubic meters), followed on May 11, also headed to Port Qasim with an expected arrival of May 12.