Poland is expecting its first QatarEnergy liquefied natural gas cargo since deliveries were suspended earlier this year, providing a potential reopening of an important supply route before winter. The shipment is expected at Świnoujście in November, although its arrival would not by itself confirm that regular contractual deliveries have resumed.
The tanker Al Kharsaah is scheduled to reach the Polish terminal on 14 November, according to shipping data cited by Pipeline & Gas Journal. Its report, published on 23 October, said the vessel had crossed the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb earlier in the month. A source cited in the report said QatarEnergy’s force-majeure declaration remained in place. Orlen declined to comment. pgjonline.com
Polish maritime publication Gospodarka Morska reported on Monday that the ship was at an anchorage northeast of Malta. It also noted that neither Orlen nor QatarEnergy had officially confirmed a general restoration of shipments.
The interruption followed attacks on QatarEnergy infrastructure in March. According to the publication’s account, QatarEnergy stopped LNG production on 2 March and declared force majeure two days later. Orlen subsequently received notice that scheduled deliveries could be delayed or cancelled. GospodarkaM
For Poland, the practical importance of the expected shipment lies in restoring access to another source of supply. Orlen previously said it would obtain replacement LNG from other suppliers and that the interruption would not undermine national gas security. That assurance concerns the availability of alternatives; it does not establish that replacement cargoes carry identical prices or delivery terms.
Świnoujście provides the infrastructure needed to manage such changes. Operator GAZ-SYSTEM lists its annual regasification capacity at 8.3 billion cubic metres. The terminal receives LNG by sea, stores it in liquid form and converts it back into gas for delivery to the national transmission network. It can also load LNG into road tankers and other vessels. gaz-system.pl
The facility’s expansion, inaugurated in January 2025, added a third storage tank, additional regasification equipment and a second berth. These investments increased Poland’s ability to receive gas from multiple overseas suppliers. Portal Gov.pl
The immediate milestone is now the vessel’s arrival and unloading. A single cargo would be commercially significant, but a sustained recovery in deliveries would require further shipments and clarity from the companies about their contractual arrangements. Until then, the November delivery remains an expected shipment rather than evidence that the disruption has ended.
