Global Strait Tensions Threaten LPG Supply, Total Makes Congo Find

Iran-linked tankers are testing the limits of the U.S. blockade outside the Strait of Hormuz, according to ship-tracking data. At least two vessels sanctioned by the U.S. entered the Persian Gulf on Thursday via a route between Iran’s Larak and Qeshm islands, OilPrice.com reported. One of the vessels, the supertanker Hong Lu, is capable of carrying up to 2 million barrels of crude and was headed into the Gulf empty. While U.S. Central Command stated that no vessels had made it past U.S. forces in the first 48 hours of the blockade, maritime intelligence firm Windward assessed that Iranian export activity continues with vessels using deceptive patterns like spoofing.

The disruption at the critical chokepoint is having severe downstream effects. India’s cooking gas crisis, driven by severed liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supply chains, could persist for three to four years, a senior Indian government official told Moneycontrol, as reported by OilPrice.com. India relies on the Strait of Hormuz for 90% of its LPG imports and depends on Qatar for 20% of its LPG supply. QatarEnergy has stated that Iranian missile strikes will result in a loss of about 13% of Qatar’s LPG exports, with key facilities taking up to five years to repair.

Around 60% of Indian households rely on LPG as their primary cooking fuel, and the supply crunch has forced the government to cut supplies to commercial establishments to prioritize households. Authorities are now pushing to expand city pipeline gas networks to replace LPG cylinders where possible. Some Indian LPG tankers have cleared the strait in recent weeks despite the de facto closure.

Separately, TotalEnergies has announced a new oil discovery offshore Congo Brazzaville. The Moho G discovery, together with a previous find on the nearby Moho F structure, represents estimated recoverable resources close to 100 million barrels, Rigzone reported.

For Bakken operators, the ongoing volatility at the Strait of Hormuz underscores the fragility of global energy logistics and the potential for sustained premium pricing for hydrocarbons that can reach market via secure routes. The prolonged LPG crisis in a major consuming nation like India could alter global fuel trade flows and highlight the value of stable, domestic production from basins like the Bakken. While new discoveries like Total's in Congo add to global reserves, geopolitical risks continue to dictate near-term market stability and the premium for secure supply.