Qatar has sent its first liquefied natural gas cargo through the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of the Iran war in late February, marking a tentative resumption of energy exports through one of the world’s most strategically sensitive maritime chokepoints.

Shipping data reviewed on May 10 showed the Q-Flex LNG carrier Al Kharaitiyat had successfully crossed the strait and entered the Gulf of Oman en route to Pakistan after loading cargo at Ras Laffan earlier this month. The vessel appears to have taken a northern route close to Iran’s coastline under newly established Iranian-controlled shipping corridors.

“The tanker has completed the crossing and [is] sailing now in the Gulf of Oman toward Pakistan,” Bloomberg correspondent Javier Blas said in a social media post. The voyage marks the “first Qatari LNG tanker to cross since the start of the war about 70 days ago”.

The crossing is being closely watched by global energy traders after weeks of severe disruption to Gulf LNG flows caused by what shipping executives and analysts have described as an effective blockade around the Strait of Hormuz. Before the conflict, Qatar typically dispatched roughly three LNG cargoes a day through the waterway, which handles about one-fifth of global LNG trade.

The passage comes only days after the US Operation Project Freedom effort to escort ships through the strait failed after 48 hours after Iran attacks and reportedly badly damaged three US warships.

Although the successful transit represents a breakthrough for Doha, export volumes remain well below pre-war levels, according to tanker tracking data and shipping analysts. Asian spot LNG prices have risen sharply since the conflict began amid fears of prolonged supply disruptions.

The transit also comes as Tehran keeps the pressure up on regional maritime traffic. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy said that “any attack against Iranian oil tankers or commercial vessels will be met with a response against US bases and proxies in the region and enemy ships”.

Separately, Iranian authorities are considering new controls over seven undersea internet cables as the Strait of Hormuz is also a digital chokepoint for the region with important cables connecting Asia with Europe running along the seabed of the narrow waterway. Under the proposed new framework, foreign operators would be required to obtain permits, pay fees and comply with Iranian regulations, while management and maintenance responsibilities would be transferred to Iranian companies.

The cables carry significant data traffic between Europe, Asia and Gulf states. The IRGC has previously warned that the infrastructure could become a military target during any escalation in the region.

QatarEnergy, the state-owned producer that oversees the world’s third-largest proven gas reserves, has not publicly commented on the latest shipment. The company had sharply reduced tanker movements through Hormuz after insurers raised war-risk premiums and several shipping operators suspended Gulf transits earlier this year.