丝·廖。卡塔尔已在波斯湾集结了一支由空液化天然气（LNG）油轮组成的船队，这表明作为全球最大的该燃料出口国之一，卡塔尔可能正准备通过霍尔木兹海峡增加出货量。
Qatar has amassed a fleet of empty liquefied natural gas tankers in the Persian Gulf, a sign that one of the world’s biggest exporters of the fuel may be preparing to boost shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
根据彭博社对卫星图像和船舶跟踪数据的分析，至少有12艘由卡塔尔能源公司拥有或租用的压载LNG运输船在该国附近水域等待。这些船只总共可装载约110万吨LNG，约占全球整个油轮船队运力的2%。
At least 12 ballast LNG carriers owned or chartered by QatarEnergy are waiting in waters near the country, according to a Bloomberg News analysis of satellite images and ship-tracking data. Together, the vessels can hold about 1.1 million tons of LNG, or roughly 2% of the carrying capacity of the entire global tanker fleet.
这些船只装载后是否会驶过霍尔木兹海峡尚无保障，尤其是近期针对船只的袭击事件不断加剧。据雅典通讯社周二援引希腊航运部的话报道，一艘希腊拥有的LNG运输船在航行至该水道附近时被不明物体击中。卡塔尔能源公司未立即回应置评请求。
There’s no guarantee the vessels will sail through Hormuz once loaded, particularly as Iranian attacks on ships have intensified. A Greek-owned LNG carrier was hit by an unidentified object while sailing near the waterway, Athens News Agency reported on Tuesday, citing Greece’s shipping ministry. QatarEnergy didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
不过，额外供应的预期可能有助于平抑全球天然气价格。上个月，亚洲和欧洲的天然气价格曾飙升至2022年底以来的最高水平。9月份通过霍尔木兹海峡的LNG交通量升至战争爆发以来的最高水平，但出货量仍比2月美以袭击伊朗之前的水平低约75%。
Still, the prospect of additional flows could help to temper global gas prices, which rallied to the highest level since late-2022 in Asia and Europe last month. LNG traffic through Hormuz rose in September to the highest level since the war began, but shipments remain about 75% below levels in February, before the US and Israel attacked Iran.
近期流量的增加让一些买家措手不及。例如，印度被迫缩减了一些现货采购，以为卡塔尔货物的回归腾出空间。
The recent increase in flows has caught some buyers off guard. India, for example, has been forced to scale back some spot purchases to make room for the return of Qatari cargoes.
市场目前正在密切关注LNG出货量的初步复苏是否会持续。过去几个月里，石油出货量已大幅反弹。然而，大部分原油已被装载到阿曼湾的其他船上，这种策略被称为穿梭运输。对于这种超低温燃料而言，此类转运在技术上更加困难。
The market is now watching to see if the initial recovery in LNG shipments will continue. Oil shipments have rebounded sharply over the last few months. However, much of the crude has been loaded onto other ships in the Gulf of Oman in a tactic known as shuttling. Such transfers are technically more difficult with the super-chilled fuel.