Lloyds List: Fallout will ripple across globe amid Strait of Hormuz ‘doomsday scenario’

March 10, 2026 “We have approximately 22% of the world’s LNG supply shut in right now because the strait is closed,” said Gordon Shearer, senior advisor at Poten & Partners. “The longer this goes on, the worse it gets. When you let an LNG plant warm up, you warm it up very slowly so you don’t crack the metal, which is under tremendous thermal stress and is very expensive and difficult to replace. “The reverse happens when you want to start it up again. You have to cool it down very slowly,” said Shearer. “If these plants sit idle for a month, it will probably be at least one to two months of additional lead time to get them back up to capacity, so this could be a sustained interruption. “Three things have to line up before we see Qatar back in the export market,” he continued. First, its upstream production must be safe. “All of Qatar’s fields are offshore, within five miles of the Iranian border. They’re almost impossible to defend. If Iran decides to unleash all havoc on Gulf energy infrastructure, they could take out the offshore gas fields; replacing them would be a massive undertaking.” Second, Qatar’s liquefaction plants must be safe. “The liquefaction plants are not hardened to withstand military attack,” said Shearer. Third is shipping safety. “You’ve got to get the ships through the Strait of Hormuz.” Read the full article here