Hormuz Disruption to Stall 2026 LNG Trade, Demand to Rise by 2050

LONDON/SINGAPORE, June 30 (Reuters) – Shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz due to the Iran war could keep global liquefied natural gas trade flat this year if flows return to normal in the next three months, Shell said on Tuesday, though it expects growth to resume in 2027 and demand to rise sharply by 2050.

The severe disruption to tanker traffic through the crucial waterway has shut in around one-fifth of global monthly LNG supply since the conflict began. Energy major Shell SHEL.L had expected LNG trade, which reached 422 million metric tons in 2025, to increase in 2026.

Shell,