Image for representation purposes only A QatarEnergy-controlled LNG tanker has sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz for the first time in nearly three weeks, marking the first such vessel movement since a Qatar-linked LNG carrier was hit in early July. The Al Areesh, which loaded a cargo at Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG terminal between July 4 and July 6, passed through the Strait of Hormuz on July 29 and is now heading towards Port Qasim in Pakistan, according to ship-tracking data from Kpler and LSEG. The vessel is expected to arrive on July 31. The tanker’s departure is the first recorded exit of a QatarEnergy-controlled LNG carrier from the strait since the Al Rekayyat was struck on July 7. The incident had led to a pause in LNG tanker movements through the key energy route. The Al Areesh remained in the Persian Gulf after loading its cargo before sailing through Hormuz, according to vessel tracking data. Its next destination was listed as Pakistan. However, neither QatarEnergy nor Seapeak LLC, the company that owns the tanker, immediately commented on the vessel’s movement. Iran’s Fars news agency reported on Thursday that a Qatari LNG vessel carrying cargo had crossed the Iran-designated route through the Strait of Hormuz with Iran’s permission. The agency did not provide details about the vessel. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes. Before the waterway was affected by the Iran war that began in February following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, it carried about one-fifth of global crude oil and LNG supplies. The previous LNG tanker recorded leaving Hormuz was the Al Hamra, which departed on July 11 after loading cargo at the United Arab Emirates’ Das Island, according to Kpler data. Separately, the ADNOC Gas-controlled LNG tanker Mraweh was detected inside the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday after last being tracked outside the waterway in ballast condition on July 24. The vessel remained without cargo, according to Kpler data.