Pakistan State Oil posted an urgent tender for one LNG cargo for delivery July
15-16, with bids due Friday. Traders said the tender was approved Wednesday
after a Qatar shipment scheduled for this month was canceled. Shipping through
the Strait of Hormuz has been near-stalled following a second consecutive day of
US strikes on Iran; earlier this week a vessel carrying Qatari gas to Pakistan
halted transit. Pakistan sources almost all LNG via long-term contracts with
Qatar and has faced energy shortfalls since the late-February Middle East
conflict; it has purchased two costly spot cargoes in recent weeks to plug
supply gaps.
