Qatar-Japan LNG Route

The long-haul gas sea lane carrying Qatari LNG to Japan, Korea and China and, since 2022, to Europe.

Overview

Qatar ships on the order of 80 million tonnes of LNG yearly, with a major expansion aiming far higher, and Asia's utilities are its anchor customers on long-term contracts, with voyages to Japan running roughly 18 to 20 days through Hormuz and the Indian Ocean. The Q-Max carriers, at 266,000 cubic meters, are the largest LNG ships built. The 2017 Gulf rift pushed Qatar to reroute and diversify customers, and the 2022 energy crisis made Europe a major buyer, sending Qatari cargoes through Suez or around the Cape. The trade is the physical wiring of the global gas market.