The Blockade of the Strait of Hormuz - LNG Headaches for Asia

Since the beginning of Operation EPIC FURY, ingeniSPACE has been carefully monitoring the impact of fuel shipments across the IndoPacific. Unlike China which has significantly invested in building out its oil and gas strategic reserves over the past decade, many countries in the IndoPacific have not.

For example, Taiwan has a 11-day reserve of LNG. In order to maintain that reserve, Taiwan would need to maintain the cadence of deliveries that exceed its daily consumption. During the March, Taiwan LNG shipments were down when compared to the previous year..

Japan on the other hand seemed to be better prepared. LNG shipments to Japan, the largest consumer of LNG in the region above the previous years. Given US preparations in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, it appears initially Japan is managing the risk much better than New Zealand, Australia, Philippines, and others.

At the time of the writing of this post (APRIL 13, 2026) we have been made aware that wartime access restrictions are being enforced affecting Iranian ports and coastal areas, including locations along the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and the Arabian Sea east of the Strait of Hormuz.

Should your organization need information on the economic or geopolitical impact of these events, please contact your ingeniSPACE customer success manager or email insights@ingenispace.com.