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Qatar's extended LNG force majeure prolongs supply cuts to Europe, Asia

Italy’s Edison said Monday that QatarEnergy would be unable to deliver LNG to it until early December.

LNG tanker
The Gigira Laitebo tanker unloads liquefied natural gas for Chinese state-owned oil and gas enterprise Sinopec, China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation in Qingdao, China's eastern Shandong province on Sept. 3, 2026. — AFP via Getty Images

Qatar has reportedly extended a force majeure affecting liquified natural gas shipments to Asia and Europe by another month as disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz continued to constrain energy flows.

What happened: In a statement on Monday, Italy’s Edison said that QatarEnergy would be unable to deliver LNG to it until early December. Separately, QatarEnergy told buyers in Bangladesh and Pakistan that cargo cancellations would continue into November, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter, while at least one Indian LNG buyer was also told the measure would remain in place.

Al-Monitor has contacted QatarEnergy for comment.

The company first implemented a force majeure in early March, days after the US-Israel-Iran war started, following production halts at its Ras Laffan and Mesaieed facilities due to the regional conflict and Iranian strikes on the plants. QatarEnergy has extended it several times since the start of the war as attacks on commercial ships, including LNG tankers, continued in the Strait of Hormuz.

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