September 30, 2026: Qatar has extended its force majeure declaration on liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies to Asian and European buyers by another month as energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz remain disrupted.

As a result, scheduled Qatari LNG cargoes for Bangladesh and Pakistan could remain cancelled through November. At least one Indian buyer has also been informed that the suspension will continue, while Italian energy company Edison said its Qatari LNG supplies would remain suspended until early December.

The information was reported by Bloomberg and Reuters, citing people familiar with the matter.

State-owned QatarEnergy informed buyers in Bangladesh and Pakistan this week that the cancellation of LNG cargoes would remain in effect through November. Two other people familiar with the matter said at least one Indian buyer had also been notified of the extension.

Edison separately said its LNG supplies from Qatar would remain suspended until early December.

QatarEnergy did not immediately comment on the matter.

Since the start of the US-Iran war, QatarEnergy has been regularly updating LNG customers on the status of supplies. Several scheduled cargoes have been cancelled or suspended almost every month.

The validity of earlier force majeure notices has also been extended in stages. The latest one-month extension is prolonging uncertainty for LNG buyers in Asia and Europe.

A force majeure clause allows a party to temporarily avoid certain contractual obligations when events beyond its control, such as war or natural disasters, prevent it from fulfilling a contract.

(Source: Pratidin)