Blockaded Qatar swings axe on charters of foreign offshore ships

Shipowners with international-flagged ships at Qatari offshore fields have seen a number of their long-term charters terminated years early, several market sources said this week.

The situation is the expected result of the now-lengthy blockade against Qatar, as TradeWinds reported last October, when about 30 ships were thought to be at risk.

Although more terminations are expected in the coming months, as many as 16 vessels have lost or will lose contracts in the short term, until only Qatari ships are working at the offshore fields, one shipowning source said.