{"text":[[{"start":9.5,"text":"Vessels carrying liquefied natural gas are attempting to run the gauntlet through the Strait of Hormuz, raising some buyers’ hopes that regular deliveries from the Gulf will resume."}],[{"start":20.25,"text":"At least two ships carrying liquefied natural gas from Abu Dhabi have sailed through the narrow waterway, according to ship-tracking data, despite the ongoing threat to merchant ships posed by Iran."}],[{"start":33.15,"text":"Two other carriers, laden with LNG from Qatar and heading for Pakistan, approached the strait before turning back. "}],[{"start":40.25,"text":"Pakistan cancelled plans to buy two cargoes on the spot market on Thursday, which two Pakistani petroleum ministry officials said was because Islamabad had expected shipments from Qatar through the waterway to resume."}],[{"start":52.9,"text":"The decision came shortly after Pakistan’s prime minister spoke to his Qatari counterpart on Thursday evening, one of the people said. Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar also spoke with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi earlier that day."}],[{"start":68,"text":"While only two ships carrying LNG are known to have passed through the strait, others may attempt to do the same. An unusually large number of ships in the Gulf have turned off their transponders for extended periods, making their locations harder to track. "}],[{"start":82.85,"text":"Both ships carrying LNG from Abu Dhabi appear not to have been broadcasting their positions as they sailed through the Strait of Hormuz. An Abu Dhabi National Oil Company representative declined to comment on the passage of the ships."}],[{"start":94.75,"text":"Any resumption of shipping would be a boon for Pakistan, which ordinarily depends on Qatar for almost all of its LNG supplies, the source of up to a quarter of its electricity generation."}],[{"start":105.95,"text":"The abrupt halt to Qatari shipments when conflict erupted in the Middle East at the end of February caused immediate pain in Pakistan. Flows through the strait halted immediately as it became too unsafe for ships to pass, stymying manufacturing activities and causing rolling blackouts of up to seven hours per day throughout the country of 240mn."}],[{"start":126,"text":"While the attempts to sail through the strait — both successful and unsuccessful — are a source of hope to some buyers, a return to normal traffic levels would hinge on an agreement to end Iran’s blockade."}],[{"start":138.55,"text":"“It’s still early days and we’re talking about a handful of cargoes,” said Wood Mackenzie research analyst Fraser Carson. “Turning off positioning data for an extended period has seemingly allowed some LNG carriers to transit Hormuz undetected by Iranian authorities.”"}],[{"start":154.25,"text":"This was not a lasting solution and turning off transponders was a dangerous practice, he said. “It might facilitate the short-term trade of LNG to markets that are in urgent need of the molecules, but it is not a lasting solution that the industry can rely on.” "}],[{"start":169.25,"text":"Satellite imagery collated by Windward, a maritime intelligence agency, showed that nine merchant vessels were likely to have transited the strait on May 7 without switching on their AIS, the system that ships use to transmit their position to avoid collisions. No ships have passed through the strait with their AIS on for the past three days, according to ship tracking data, the first time this has happened since the war began."}],[{"start":195.25,"text":"While other countries have turned to alternative suppliers, Pakistan’s government initially shunned the spot market amid higher-than-usual prices and only bought one cargo in April. "}],[{"start":205.9,"text":"On Wednesday, it sought bids for two more cargoes and received offers. But Pakistani officials swiftly cancelled the process, citing conversations with senior Qatari and Iranian officials that indicated “good progress on Qatar vessel movement”, one of the officials said."}],[{"start":221.8,"text":"Islamabad remained optimistic that Qatari cargoes would soon be available even though attempts to pass through the strait on Thursday night were unsuccessful, the two Pakistani officials said."}],[{"start":232.65,"text":"Another person briefed on the situation said there was no movement on Qatari LNG, adding that even if a tanker got through the strait there would not be enough for Pakistan. "}],[{"start":241.55,"text":"Pakistan is leading efforts to mediate an end to the US-Israeli war on Iran, and has exchanged draft proposals between Washington and Tehran. "}],[{"start":250,"text":"Iran is weighing a one-page US proposal to end the war that includes among its provisions a “simultaneous” opening of the strait and lifting of the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, according to an Iranian and Pakistani diplomat. "}],[{"start":265.3,"text":"But there remained “deep distrust” that the US would abide by its side of the deal after President Donald Trump reneged on an earlier such proposal when Iran said in April that the strait was “completely open”, the Iranian diplomat said. "}],[{"start":278.45,"text":"Additional reporting by Andrew England and Alice Hancock in London"}],[{"start":290.65,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1778287223_6953.mp3"}