An LNG tanker originally headed for Europe has changed course for Asia amid soaring global natural gas prices, data from analytics firm Kpler shows.

This is the first vessel to divert from Europe to Asia during the current price surge, the firm noted.

European gas prices have jumped 66 per cent this week after Qatar halted LNG production following Iranian strikes.

Qatar, the world’s second-largest LNG exporter after the U.S., provides roughly 20 per cent of global supply.

Kpler noted that the tanker, BW Brussels, underscores the growing price gap between regions, with Asian buyers “competing more aggressively for supply.”

“With Asian markets highly exposed to Qatari volumes and prices surging in both Asia and Europe, further diversions for uncommitted cargoes are likely,” the firm noted.

While over half of Europe’s LNG imports originate from the U.S., South Asia depends heavily on LNG from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, whose shipments must pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

The US and Israel carried out strikes on Iran Saturday morning, following what the Israeli military described as months of “close and joint planning.”