First fully loaded LNG tanker since war began appears to have crossed strait

LONDON -- A ship managed by ADNOC, Abu Dhabi’s state oil company, appears to have been the first fully loaded liquefied natural gas tanker to cross the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war in Iran in late February, according to Kpler, a global maritime data firm.

The flow of liquefied natural gas through the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively halted over the last two months, as the United States and Iran have tightened restrictions on the movement of vessels. The United States has blockaded ships linked to Iran, and Iran has attacked or threatened ships carrying oil, LNG and other products through the Persian Gulf.

Before the war, about 20% of the world’s liquefied natural gas originated in the Middle East, virtually all of it headed to Asia. In 2025, about three laden LNG tankers passed through the Strait of Hormuz on average every day, according to data from Kpler analyzed by The New York Times.

It was not clear exactly when the vessel, the Mubaraz, crossed the strait, but on Tuesday, it was near Sri Lanka, according to ship-tracking data. ADNOC did not respond to a request for comment.

“The vessel has likely switched off its transponder for the last month or so,” Charles Costerousse, an analyst at Kpler Insight, said in a note to clients late Monday. The ship’s transponder was turned off for nearly a month, starting March 31, and it was unclear which route the tanker took through the strait, he said.

The strait’s closure has caused a surge in the cost of energy, especially in Asia and Europe.

Natural gas makes up roughly a quarter of global energy supplies. LNG production from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates fell by close to 10 billion cubic meters that month, according to the International Energy Agency.

The Mubaraz tanker, which holds 137,000 cubic meters of liquefied natural gas, loaded up at Das Island in the UAE on March 2. Kpler said the vessel was probably headed to a country in Asia. Countries across Asia that rely significantly on LNG for power are already switching to oil- and coal-powered electricity generation and in some cases cutting back usage.

Meanwhile, Newsweek reported that a superyacht linked to an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin has passed through the Strait of Hormuz, despite an Iran-enforced blockade still barring most ships from one of the world’s most strategic waterways.

The Nord, connected to sanctioned billionaire Alexey Mordashov, sailed from the glitzy Emirati hub of Dubai on Friday and arrived at the Omani capital, Muscat, on Sunday morning local time, according to ship tracking data.

Iran is allied with Russia and hailed the deep strategic ties between the two countries earlier this week as Tehran’s top diplomat met with the Kremlin leader.

The Nord, the 465-foot-long superyacht, is not officially registered to Mordashov, but corporate records from last year show the extravagant vessel was listed under a Russian firm owned by Mordashov’s wife in 2022, according to the Reuters news agency.

Mordashov, the majority shareholder in Russian steelmaker Severstal, had a reported net worth of nearly $30 billion in 2022.

He was slapped with U.S., U.K. and European Union sanctions over his connections to the Kremlin shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Copyright 2026 The New York Times Company

This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 12:53 PM.