DOHA, March 24 (Xinhua) -- QatarEnergy on Tuesday declared force majeure on several long-term liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply contracts following recent attacks on gas facilities in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Al Jazeera reported.
The report said the declaration affects customers in Italy, Belgium and South Korea.
The move comes after recent attacks on Qatar's main LNG production hub disrupted about 17 percent of the country's LNG export capacity, according to Qatar's Minister of State for Energy Affairs and QatarEnergy CEO Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi, who announced the damage on March 19.
Al Kaabi warned the disruption could lead to an estimated 20 billion U.S. dollars in annual losses and pose risks to supplies to Europe and Asia.
The attacks are part of an ongoing regional escalation, with Iran and Israel exchanging strikes targeting energy infrastructure, including facilities linked to Iran's South Pars gas field and sites across the Gulf. ■
