By: OrePulse

Combined liquefied natural gas exports from Arab countries fell by about 60 percent in the third quarter of 2026, dropping to 10.65 million tonnes from 26.41 million tonnes in the same period of 2025, according to a quarterly report on Arab and global LNG markets published October 23. The report attributed much of the decline to a continued disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which curbed exports from Qatar.

The drop equaled a loss of about 15.76 million tonnes and cut the Arab share of global LNG exports to roughly 11 percent in the third quarter, from about 25 percent a year earlier, the report said. Global LNG exports totaled 97.48 million tonnes in the quarter.

For the first nine months of 2026, combined Arab LNG exports fell 49 percent to 41.43 million tonnes, down from more than 81 million tonnes in the same period of 2025, according to the report. It said Arab exports had fallen 24 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026 and 65 percent in the second quarter, to 9.11 million tonnes, the lowest quarterly level on record, before recovering slightly in the third quarter.

Qatar, the region's largest LNG exporter, saw its shipments fall 77 percent to 4.58 million tonnes in the third quarter, down from about 19.95 million tonnes a year earlier, the report said. Qatar's share of the Arab total fell to 43 percent from 75 percent. Kuwait was the largest buyer of Qatari LNG, taking about half of the cargoes, because its imports do not have to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the report.

Oman's exports rose 7.6 percent to 2.96 million tonnes, up from about 2.75 million tonnes a year earlier. The report said Oman's export terminals sit on the Arabian Sea and so are not affected by the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. All of Oman's cargoes in the third quarter went to buyers in Asia, led by India, China and Japan.

Algeria's exports fell 27 percent to 1.57 million tonnes, down from 2.14 million tonnes, their lowest quarterly level since at least 2013, the report said. It attributed the decline to higher domestic demand and maintenance work at the Arzew LNG export plant. Turkey was the largest buyer, taking 0.70 million tonnes, followed by France with 0.39 million tonnes, Italy with 0.20 million tonnes and Croatia with 0.13 million tonnes; other countries bought a combined 0.15 million tonnes.

The UAE's exports declined 4 percent to 0.94 million tonnes from 0.98 million tonnes. The report said the modest year-on-year decline masked a larger underlying drop, since the UAE normally exports about 1.5 million tonnes a quarter and its third-quarter 2025 volume had already been reduced by maintenance at the Das Island LNG plant.

Mauritania's exports rose 16 percent to about 0.60 million tonnes from 0.52 million tonnes, the largest percentage gain among Arab exporters, the report said. China and Bangladesh were its biggest buyers amid the Hormuz-related disruption and the drop in Qatari shipments.

Egypt did not ship any exceptional cargoes in the third quarter of 2026, unlike a year earlier, according to the report, which did not give exact export volumes for Egypt in either period.