Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs and president and CEO of QatarEnergy, discussed alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz at a special edition of the Qatar Economic Forum in New York on 21 September. In a QatarEnergy statement distributed through Publicnow, al-Kaabi argued that transporting natural gas by pipeline would make no economic sense and would render Qatar’s large liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities redundant. These are the executive’s views on export infrastructure. The release did not announce an investment decision, project cost, engineering plan or implementation timetable for a new pipeline. The remarks should therefore be read as commentary about options, not confirmation that construction is approved or under way.

Al-Kaabi thanked neighbouring countries that had welcomed the use of their territories for a pipeline route intended to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. The statement refers to that support but does not identify the countries, specify conditions or describe the route’s origin, destination, capacity or legal framework. It does not establish that a route has been built or that binding agreements for a pipeline have been signed. The corridor remains an idea discussed in the remarks. Further official project documents would be needed before describing it as a financed, approved or operational infrastructure project. The release supplies no details on how such a line would connect to Qatar’s gas export chain.

The minister also rejected the idea that the Strait of Hormuz had become obsolete. He said the waterway carries trade for all adjacent countries, framing it as a shared regional artery rather than an export passage relevant to only one producer. This reflects al-Kaabi’s argument about the relationship between the strait and regional trade. The statement contains no figures on total transit volumes, country-by-country shares or comparative costs for alternative routes. His point is therefore an executive’s view in a discussion of energy and trade security, not a quantified traffic analysis. The release does not assess whether pipeline alternatives could replace maritime trade or how they would affect other coastal economies.

Al-Kaabi also predicted that QatarEnergy would become the world’s largest LNG trader by far in the near future. The statement presents this as a forecast by the company’s chief executive. It gives no precise date for the forecast, ranking methodology, competitor list or verified future trading volumes. LNG is a business model built around liquefaction facilities and shipping; his criticism of a pipeline alternative is tied to that infrastructure choice. The comments offer insight into QatarEnergy’s position on LNG and regional routes, but they do not report a new contract, an approved pipeline or a completed change in global trading rank. Any later project commitment or market ranking would need separate confirmation.