Just days after Qatar signaled it could rapidly restore liquefied natural gas production following a US-Iran ceasefire agreement, a deadly explosion at a key gas facility north of Doha delivered a reminder that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is only one step toward normalizing Gulf energy production.

The blast at QatarEnergy's Barzan local gas supply facility on Sunday killed at least 13 people and injured dozens more. While QatarEnergy said the incident will not affect LNG exports, it comes as Gulf producers race to restore oil and gas production after more than three months of conflict that damaged energy infrastructure, shuttered facilities and sharply curtailed regional exports.

The incident in Qatar shows that getting production and exports back online may prove slower, riskier and more uneven than markets initially hoped. Meanwhile, the outlook for Gulf exports remains under pressure, with the number of ships transiting Hormuz falling sharply over the weekend after Tehran announced it had again closed the waterway, citing Israeli and US violations of the peace deal.

What happened: The explosion occurred during the startup of operations at Ras Laffan Industrial City, according to state-owned LNG powerhouse QatarEnergy, which said emergency teams quickly brought the resulting fire under control.