QatarEnergy suspended all LNG production at Ras Laffan Industrial City on 2 March 2026 following Iranian missile and drone strikes on the complex, taking approximately 77 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of export capacity offline and triggering the most significant disruption to global gas supply since Russia curtailed European pipeline flows in 2022. Force majeure was declared on LNG contracts with buyers in Belgium, China, Italy, and South Korea within 48 hours, legally releasing QatarEnergy from contracted delivery obligations. By early April, two of three trains at QELNG North 1 had restarted following a ceasefire agreement, though full resumption of the QatarEnergy Ras Laffan complex remained conditional on the Strait of Hormuz reopening to commercial shipping.
The March 2026 Strikes: What Happened at Ras Laffan
On 2 March 2026, Qatar’s Defence Ministry confirmed that two drones launched from Iran struck facilities at Ras Laffan Industrial City and Mesaieed Industrial City. One drone targeted a water tank at a Mesaieed power plant; the second struck an energy facility at Ras Laffan belonging to QatarEnergy directly. No fatalities were reported in the initial attack, though subsequent missile strikes caused structural damage to liquefaction infrastructure assessed at approximately 17% of Qatar’s annual export capacity, with repair timelines estimated at up to five years for the affected trains.
QatarEnergy issued a formal statement the same day: production of LNG and associated products had ceased due to military attacks on its operating facilities. A second statement on 3 March extended the shutdown to downstream production at Mesaieed, including polymers, methanol, aluminium, and other petrochemical outputs. The sequential shutdown reflected the integrated nature of the Ras Laffan complex — LNG feedgas, utilities, and downstream processing share infrastructure across the site.
The market response was immediate. Dutch TTF benchmark gas prices rose more than 25% intraday on 2 March; the S&P Global Japan Korea Marker (JKM) for Asian LNG jumped approximately 39%. Oil prices surged above $82 per barrel, the highest since January 2025, as traders priced in the combined effect of the QatarEnergy Ras Laffan shutdown and simultaneous disruption at Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura refinery, which was struck by drones on the same day.
Force Majeure: Scope and Market Impact
QatarEnergy’s force majeure declarations covered contracted LNG deliveries through at least May 2026, representing as many as 90 individual cargoes across the affected buyer portfolios. Belgium, China, Italy, and South Korea were the confirmed contract counterparties named in force majeure notices, though the disruption affected spot and term supply to a wider range of importers given Qatar’s position supplying approximately one-fifth of global LNG trade.
The Strait of Hormuz closure compounded the supply shock beyond what the production shutdown alone would have caused. The strait carries approximately 20% of the world’s seaborne LNG — almost entirely Qatari output. Even undamaged trains at Ras Laffan could not resume exports while the waterway remained blocked. By early April, two QatarEnergy LNG tankers — the Al Ghariya and Al Huwaila — aborted a rare transit attempt after failing to secure clearance from Iranian officials, underscoring that physical restart of production and resumption of exports were two separate problems requiring separate solutions.
Nearly 50 QatarEnergy LNG tankers sat idle across Asian waters at the peak of the disruption. LNG imports to Asia fell 8.6% year-on-year in March 2026, the largest monthly decline since December 2022, according to ship-tracking data. European gas storage, already below 30% heading into the spring refill season, faced an accelerated draw as spot LNG supply tightened. For analysis of European supply impacts, see Europe LNG 2026: Qatar Force Majeure Rewrites Supply Calculus.
Restart Progress: QELNG North 1 and the Hormuz Variable
QatarEnergy began mobilising engineers and maintenance personnel at Ras Laffan in early April 2026 following a ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran that included terms for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The improvement in security conditions allowed limited site access, with the facility undergoing necessary maintenance ahead of a sequenced restart.
Two of three trains at QELNG North 1 — Qatar’s first-ever LNG project, formerly known as Qatargas-1 — were confirmed restarted by 8 April, according to sources cited by Reuters. QELNG North 1 comprises three conventional liquefaction trains with a combined capacity of approximately 10 MTPA. Restarting the remaining trains across the full 14-train QatarEnergy Ras Laffan complex is a sequential process; cryogenic equipment requires controlled cool-down procedures that cannot be accelerated without risk of damage.
Full export resumption remains tied to Hormuz transit. The ceasefire terms between Washington and Tehran were not fully reconciled publicly — the US announced a complete and immediate opening of the strait while Iran described a two-week safe passage arrangement within technical limitations. Two weeks of conditional access is insufficient to clear the backlog of idled tankers and restore contracted delivery schedules. GIIGNL estimated that a return to pre-crisis export levels would require sustained, unimpeded passage for a minimum of several weeks given the volume of delayed cargoes and scheduled maintenance that accumulated during the shutdown period.
Wider Consequences: Golden Pass, European Storage and Long-Term Contracts
The partial offset to the Ras Laffan outage came from an unlikely source: Golden Pass LNG at Sabine Pass, Texas, a 70/30 joint venture between QatarEnergy and ExxonMobil, commenced production on Train 1 in early April 2026. With a nameplate capacity of 18 MTPA across three trains, Golden Pass provided limited but symbolically significant supply relief — the first US LNG production in which QatarEnergy itself holds the majority equity stake. Global LNG exports from Golden Pass are expected to begin in the second quarter of 2026.
The structural consequence of the shutdown that will outlast the immediate crisis is the damage to long-term contract confidence. QatarEnergy’s expansion programme — targeting 160 MTPA by the early 2030s through the North Field East and North Field South projects — was predicated partly on long-term supply agreements with European and Asian buyers seeking alternatives to Russian pipeline gas. The March 2026 event demonstrated that Hormuz dependency remains an unresolved concentration risk for any contract structured around Ras Laffan supply. The Isle of Grain terminal in the UK, one of QatarEnergy’s primary European delivery points, received no Qatari cargoes for the duration of the shutdown. For more on the UK terminal’s role, see QatarEnergy LNG Terminal UK: Isle of Grain 2026.
For context on where Ras Laffan sits within the global LNG infrastructure hierarchy, see the Top 10 LNG Terminals in the World 2026. For the full QatarEnergy company profile covering ownership, JV partners, North Field expansion and downstream operations, see the Qatar Petroleum / QatarEnergy Company Profile.
Why did QatarEnergy shut down LNG production at Ras Laffan in 2026?
QatarEnergy halted all LNG and downstream production at Ras Laffan Industrial City on 2 March 2026 following Iranian missile and drone strikes on the complex. The strikes caused direct damage to liquefaction infrastructure and prompted QatarEnergy to cease operations across the site for safety and operational reasons. A simultaneous closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian naval forces prevented export even from undamaged capacity.
What is force majeure and which buyers were affected by QatarEnergy’s declaration?
Force majeure is a contractual clause that releases a party from obligations due to extraordinary events beyond its control. QatarEnergy declared force majeure on LNG contracts with buyers in Belgium, China, Italy, and South Korea, covering deliveries through at least May 2026 and representing as many as 90 cargoes. The declaration legally suspended QatarEnergy’s delivery obligations for the duration of the disruption.
When did QatarEnergy restart LNG production after the March 2026 shutdown?
QatarEnergy began the restart process at Ras Laffan in early April 2026 following a US-Iran ceasefire that included terms for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Two of three trains at QELNG North 1 (Qatargas-1) were restarted by 8 April 2026. Full resumption of all 14 trains across the Ras Laffan complex requires sequential restart procedures and sustained safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz for exports to resume at scale.
How much of global LNG supply did the Ras Laffan shutdown remove from the market?
QatarEnergy operates approximately 77 MTPA of LNG capacity at Ras Laffan, representing roughly one-fifth of global LNG trade. The Strait of Hormuz carries approximately 20% of the world’s seaborne LNG. The combination of the production halt and the strait closure effectively removed Qatar’s entire export capacity from the market simultaneously, causing European TTF benchmark prices to rise more than 25% and Asian JKM prices to jump approximately 39% on the day of the shutdown.
What is QELNG North 1 and why was it the first train restarted?
QELNG North 1, formerly known as Qatargas-1, is Qatar’s first-ever LNG project and comprises three conventional liquefaction trains at Ras Laffan with a combined capacity of approximately 10 MTPA. It was the first facility restarted because it sustained less damage than the trains affected by the missile strikes and was operationally ready for the sequential cool-down and restart procedures required to bring cryogenic liquefaction equipment safely back online.