Strikes hit Ras Laffan, pressure LNG firms

QatarEnergy said on March 19 that missile strikes on Ras Laffan Industrial City had cut Qatar’s LNG export capacity by 17%, damaged two liquefaction trains partly owned with ExxonMobil, and hit Shell’s Pearl gas-to-liquids plant. The company said the attacks took place on March 18 and in the early hours of March 19, and estimated the damage would cost about $20 billion a year in lost revenue. Shell said one of Pearl GTL’s two trains was damaged and that the facility had ceased production while damage was assessed. The social-media claims circulating on May 21 point back to those company statements, rather than to any new official disclosure today. ### Which facilities at Ras Laffan were actually hit? QatarEnergy said the strikes damaged LNG Trains 4 and 6, which together produce 12.8 million tons per annum and represent about 17% of Qatar’s LNG exports. The company said Train 4 is owned 66% by QatarEnergy and 34% by ExxonMobil, while Train 6 is owned 70% by QatarEnergy and 30% by ExxonMobil. Shell said the attacks also damaged one of the two trains at Pearl GTL, its gas-to-liquids facility at Ras Laffan. (qatarenergy.qa) Shell said Pearl had been running at reduced rates before the attack because exports were constrained by the Strait of Hormuz blockage, and that production from the full facility had ceased to allow damage assessment. ### Did Qatar shut LNG production entirely? QatarEnergy said on March 2 that it had ceased production of LNG and associated products because of military attacks on facilities in Ras Laffan Industrial City and Mesaieed Industrial City. The company said at the time it would continue to communicate with stakeholders. Shell said QatarEnergy shut in production across all LNG facilities on March 2 and later declared force majeure. (shell.com) Shell also said its own Q1 2026 financial impacts would be addressed in a quarterly update note published on April 8. ### Why are QatarEnergy, Shell and ExxonMobil all named in this story? ExxonMobil is named because the two damaged LNG trains are joint ventures with QatarEnergy. (qatarenergy.qa) QatarEnergy identified ExxonMobil’s stakes as 34% in Train 4 and 30% in Train 6. Shell is named because it operates Pearl GTL at Ras Laffan under a production-sharing arrangement. QatarEnergy said Pearl was among the sites targeted, and Shell separately confirmed damage to one of Pearl’s trains and said all staff on site were safe. (shell.com) ### How large is the supply impact QatarEnergy described? Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Qatar’s minister of state for energy affairs and chief executive of QatarEnergy, said the damaged LNG facilities would take between three and five years to repair. (qatarenergy.qa) He said the disruption would affect China, South Korea, Italy and Belgium, and that QatarEnergy would be compelled to declare force majeure for up to five years on some long-term LNG contracts. QatarEnergy also said associated product losses would extend beyond LNG. The company listed condensates, LPG, naphtha, sulfur and helium among the affected products from the outage. ### What is verified as of May 21, and what is not? May 21 social posts described fresh “strikes” at Ras Laffan and linked them to immediate disruption for LNG buyers, but the official material surfaced in web checks points to the March 18-19 attacks and the March 2 production halt. (qatarenergy.qa) I did not find a new May 21 statement from QatarEnergy, Shell or ExxonMobil announcing a separate attack or a new shutdown at Ras Laffan. Shell said further updates on Pearl GTL and its Qatar exposure would be posted on its conflict-impact page, while QatarEnergy said it would continue to communicate the latest available information to stakeholders. (shell.com) (qatarenergy.qa)