Pakistan has launched an emergency tender to secure a liquefied natural gas cargo after renewed hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz interrupted scheduled deliveries. The South Asian nation, which relies on imported LNG for roughly 30% of its power generation, faces mounting pressure to replenish inventories before the summer demand peak.

The disruption underscores the fragility of energy supply chains that transit the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway handling about 20% of global LNG trade. Any sustained closure forces buyers like Pakistan into the spot market, where prices typically surge as traders factor in longer routing around the Cape of Good Hope and heightened insurance costs.

Islamabad's state-owned Pakistan LNG Limited and Sui Southern Gas Company are racing to lock in replacement volumes, likely at a premium to term-contract rates. The move comes as the country negotiates a new IMF bailout program, with energy sector reform a key condition. Higher fuel import bills could widen the current-account deficit and complicate fiscal targets.