Vessel carrying Qatari LNG arrives at Port Qasim

A cargo ship carrying roughly 82,000 tonnes of liquefied natural gas has docked at Port Qasim, marking the first Qatari LNG delivery to reach Pakistan through the Strait of Hormuz since July. According to Dawn, which cited Anadolu, the vessel Al Marrouna sailed from Qatar's Ras Laffan terminal, passed the strait on Monday and berthed at the Engro LNG Terminal on Thursday morning. Asad Altaf, a port spokesman, provided these details.

Altaf attributed the earlier gap to regional tensions that disrupted planned Qatar Energy deliveries, and the cargo was bought through a government-to-government arrangement. The shipment should add to LNG availability and bring some short-term respite for power generators, while calming fears that Qatari deliveries via the waterway could be cut for an extended period. Both Islamabad and Doha are active mediators in ongoing efforts to restart US-Iran negotiations and end the conflict.

Power cuts lasting six to 12 hours are reported in several parts of the country, while fuel costs have climbed amid fresh hostilities around the Strait of Hormuz. Fuel prices are now set daily, a system that has drawn protests from political parties, and goods transporters have raised freight charges by 10 per cent as inflation picks up.