一艘载有卡塔尔液化天然气的运载船正向北航行穿过红海，这趟罕见的航程穿越了易受胡塞武装再度袭击威胁的水域，可能会加快向欧洲客户交付的速度。
A carrier loaded with Qatari liquefied natural gas is sailing north through the Red Sea, potentially speeding up delivery to European customers with a rare transit through waters vulnerable to renewed attacks from Houthi rebels.
根据彭博社汇编的船舶追踪数据，这艘于8月份在卡塔尔装载了一批液化天然气货物的油轮，正发出以波兰为其下一目的地的信号。波兰奥伦公司（Orlen SA）与卡塔尔能源公司（QatarEnergy）签有长期供应合同，不过由于该出口商位于拉斯拉凡（Ras Laffan）的大型工厂于3月遭到无人机袭击，该协议下的货运已被取消。
The tanker, which loaded an LNG cargo in Qatar in August, is signaling Poland as its next destination, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Poland’s Orlen SA has a long-term supply contract with QatarEnergy, though shipments under the deal were canceled after the exporter’s giant Ras Laffan plant was hit by drone strikes in March.
这次航行很不寻常，恰逢欧洲天然气价格创下近四年来的最高水平。商业船只越来越倾向于绕行远路以避开红海，通常会绕过非洲的好望角前往欧洲，这条路线会使单程航行增加近两周的时间和额外成本。
The transit — which comes as European natural gas prices hit the highest level in almost four years — is unusual. Commercial vessels have increasingly tended to take long detours to avoid the Red Sea, typically sailing around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope to head to Europe, a route that can add almost two weeks and extra costs to a one-way journey.
连接商船与军事力量的安全机构英国海上贸易行动办公室（UK Maritime Trade Operations）周六报道称，在亚丁湾的也门穆卡拉港东南方向，一艘未具名的液化天然气油轮遭到了一艘发射了两声枪响的小艇的逼近。该油轮的安全团队开枪回击了两次。
UK Maritime Trade Operations, a security outfit which links commercial shipping and military forces, reported on Saturday that an unnamed LNG tanker was approached southeast of the Yemeni port of Al Mukalla, in the Gulf of Aden, by a skiff that fired two shots. The tanker’s security team fired two shots in return.
英国海上贸易行动办公室没有提供更多细节，不过船舶追踪数据表明，这艘驶往波兰的运载船是当时该地区唯一的液化天然气油轮。数据显示，此后该船继续了其航程。卡塔尔能源公司没有立即回应置评请求。
UKMTO did not provide further details, though ship-tracking data suggest the Poland-bound carrier was the only LNG tanker in the region at the time. The data suggests the vessel has since continued its journey. QatarEnergy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
霍尔木兹海峡周围持续的混乱几个月来收紧了全球液化天然气供应，推高了价格，并迫使中东供应商寻找变通办法。
Continued disruption around the Strait of Hormuz has tightened global LNG supply for months, driving up prices and forcing Middle Eastern suppliers to look for workarounds.
这批最新的卡塔尔货物正驶向欧洲，而此时该大陆正艰难地在冬季来临前补充其天然气库存。该燃料的储备处于十多年来的最低季节性水平，随着气温开始下降，这可能带来更高的价格威胁。
This latest Qatari cargo is heading to Europe at a time when the continent has struggled to refill its gas inventories ahead of winter. Reserves of the fuel are sitting at the lowest seasonal level in over a decade, threatening even higher prices as temperatures begin to drop.