Shell has resumed partial operations at the Pearl GTL plant in Qatar, nearly seven months after a regional attack damaged one of its processing units. QatarEnergy has simultaneously returned to the spot market with naphtha tenders, as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains constrained by ongoing security concerns.
The world’s largest gas-to-liquids facility is back online in a limited capacity. Shell announced the partial restart on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at the Pearl GTL site in Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City. The plant had been shuttered since March 2026, when conflict involving Iran damaged one of its two main processing units, known as production trains.
For now, however, operations are running at a reduced level designed strictly to accumulate a limited product inventory within the plant’s storage tanks, with the wholly owned Shell facility relying on gas extracted directly from the Qatari North Field.
Strait of Hormuz Security Dictates Export Capacity
Getting those liquid products out of storage and into international markets remains a separate logistical hurdle. A Shell spokesperson emphasized that safe, reliable operations depend heavily on the broader security environment in the region. Tankers must be able to navigate the Strait of Hormuz safely before regular shipments can resume, and petroleum product tankers require guaranteed safe passage to reach importing markets successfully.
The waterway serves as a crucial artery for global energy trade. Before the conflict disrupted regional shipping and temporarily closed maritime routes, roughly 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed through the strait.
QatarEnergy Resumes Spot Market Naphtha Tenders
In addition to the new spot tender, contractual deliveries are also restarting.
Full Pearl Plant Repairs Slated for Early 2027
Restoring the Pearl facility to its maximum output will require considerable time. Following the March incident, Shell estimated that a complete overhaul of the damaged processing infrastructure would take roughly one year.
Repair work on the second production unit is ongoing. Company representatives report that full operational capacity should return during the first quarter of 2027, coinciding with expectations that the North Field East expansion project will bring its initial liquefied natural gas unit online in November.
