Azerbaijan Ready to Supply LNG as Pakistan Faces Gas Shortages
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Azerbaijan’s state energy company Socar said it is ready to supply liquefied natural gas to Pakistan as soon as Islamabad places a request, offering the country a potential alternative source of fuel as disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz threaten existing cargo flows.
The company said a framework agreement signed in 2025 between Socar Trading and Pakistan LNG Limited allows the Pakistani buyer to purchase LNG cargoes directly under an accelerated procedure. Socar said it could move ahead once Pakistan LNG Limited submits a formal request.
The offer comes as Pakistan scrambles to secure spot cargoes to manage a widening energy shortfall. The country remains heavily dependent on imported gas as domestic production declines and global LNG markets face renewed uncertainty due to tensions in the Middle East.
The latest pressure has come from disruptions linked to the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy shipping routes. Officials in Pakistan’s Petroleum Division said imports of four LNG cargoes from Qatar had been halted after Iran again closed the strait.
Pakistan State Oil, which was arranging the four cargoes under two agreements with QatarEnergy, has informed the Petroleum Division that the shipments have been suspended until the situation in the strait stabilizes, according to officials.
Pakistan had earlier asked Qatar to provide four cargoes from a group of 8 to 10 loaded vessels that were stranded because of the conflict, with delivery expected once passage through the strait resumed. But the route was closed again after Tehran concluded that the naval blockade had not ended.
Federal Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said earlier this week that QatarEnergy currently had 8 to 10 loaded LNG vessels available and that Pakistan was trying to secure as much short-term supply as possible from those cargoes.
Socar did not say whether Pakistan had already made a request, when a first delivery could take place, or whether the cargoes would come from Azerbaijan’s own supply or third-party volumes.
