LNG Crossings of Hormuz More Than Triple in June, Vessel Data Show
Montel vessel-tracking data show LNG transits through the Strait of Hormuz surged in June, but the route remains exposed without any formal security guarantee.
LNG shipments through the Strait of Hormuz more than tripled in June compared with May, vessel-tracking data reported by Montel showed, a sharp acceleration in the cautious reopening of a waterway that came to an effective halt for laden gas cargoes when the US-Israeli war with Iran began on 28 February 2026.2
The scale matters. Before the conflict, the strait handled around 20% of global LNG supply. Even a threefold increase from May's handful of crossings leaves June volumes well below pre-war norms, but the trend signals operators are returning to a route they had abandoned for months rather than routing cargoes via the longer Cape of Good Hope detour.2
The first laden LNG crossing since the war began took place in early May. A second vessel passed through on Wednesday (2026-05-06), weeks after the initial transit, according to preliminary vessel-tracking data reported by Montel. The pace has picked up since, with June marking a more consistent resumption.7
Progress has not been smooth. A QatarEnergy-affiliated vessel made an apparent U-turn while attempting to cross the strait on Monday (2026-05-11), just a day after the first Qatar-origin cargo passed safely through on Sunday (2026-05-10), Montel reported. The reversal illustrated the risk deterring most operators: no ceasefire agreement is in place, and individual crossings carry real exposure to Iran.6
Crude tankers have also been moving in greater numbers. Three supertankers crossed the strait on Wednesday (2026-05-20) carrying a combined 6 million barrels of Middle East crude bound for Asian buyers, after sitting stranded inside the Persian Gulf for more than two months, according to LSEG and Kpler shipping data. Among them was the South Korean-flagged very large crude carrier Universal Winner, carrying 2 million barrels of Kuwaiti crude loaded on March 4 (2026-03-04). A Chinese-flagged VLCC, Yuan Gui Yang, which had loaded 2 million barrels of Iraqi Basrah crude on February 27 (2026-02-27) — one day before the war started — also finally cleared the waterway.3,4
Several of those crude tankers made the passage with their tracking systems switched off. Two VLCCs, Agios Fanourios I and Kiara M, each carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude, passed through on Sunday (2026-05-17) with AIS transponders dark, according to Kpler and LSEG data released on Monday (2026-05-18). The practice has become common for vessels transiting the waterway, reflecting continued anxiety about Iranian targeting even as physical crossings become more frequent.5
Analysts tracking the May crossings were wary of extrapolating too far. Further laden LNG vessels were unlikely to pass in volume while there is no effective regional ceasefire, several told Montel in late May. The June data challenges that baseline without overturning it.2
A non-laden LNG vessel, the Panama-flagged Sohar LNG owned by Muscat-based Oman Shipping, was heading toward the strait as of Thursday (2026-05-21), hugging the Omani coastline, Kpler data showed. Ronald Pinto, a principal analyst who monitors the route, said the movement was being followed closely at the time. A non-laden crossing carries lower commercial stakes than a laden voyage, but it tests the security environment for the shipments that actually matter to the global supply balance.1
JKM Asian LNG front-month stood at $16.05 on Wednesday (2026-07-01), with one contrarian signal pointing to bullish geopolitical risk. A sustained reopening of Hormuz to Qatari and Gulf LNG producers would over time add to Asian supply and weigh on that price. But the timing and scale depend on whether June's tripling reflects a durable shift in operator confidence or a cluster of opportunistic crossings during a temporary lull. The July vessel data will be the first real test of that distinction.