According to ship tracking data, 2 ships Al Daayen and Rasheeda, each of which loaded LNG from Qatar's export factory at the end of February, are moving east, towards the mouth of the strait near Oman.
Previously, these ships were anchored in the Gulf region as the conflict escalated and Hormuz was almost closed to maritime transport activities.
Data shows that the Al Daayen ship is signaling towards China - Qatar's largest LNG customer. The destination is not the end and the ships can change destination ports at any time.
To date, no LNG cargo ships have passed through Hormuz since the US and Israel airstriked Iran since the end of February.
The blockade of the strategic sea route near Iran and the Arabian Peninsula has disrupted global energy supplies, affecting about 1/5 of the world's LNG supply. Last weekend, an oil tanker, apparently unloaded, passed through this strait.
In recent weeks, Qatar has transported 2 LNG shipments to Kuwait, according to Kpler data. These shipments are likely taken from domestic storage and do not need to pass through Hormuz.
Monitoring ships and boats around the Persian Gulf is not always accurate due to the risk of electronic signal interference or ships proactively turning off signal transmitters when passing through dangerous areas.
According to the Equasis database, the company Seapeak manages the Al Daayen, while the Rasheeda is owned by Nakilat.
Bloomberg commented that the possibility of ships passing through Hormuz could be a boost for Qatar in the context of the country's Ras Laffan export factory having to close for more than 1 month due to attacks from Iran. Qatar was the supplier of nearly 1/5 of global LNG last year.
This development could help Qatar export shipments that have been loaded and are waiting in the Persian Gulf or release goods from reserves.
QatarEnergy - the operator of Ras Laffan, the world's largest LNG export factory - has not yet commented.
Iran has restricted cross-border operations in the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel launched airstrikes but still allows its ships or approved ships to pass through.
To date, no energy ships related to Qatar have been confirmed to have passed through Hormuz.
In recent days, Tehran seems to have allowed ships of some countries considered close to the US, including France and Japan, to pass through this area.
