During the first eight months of 2026, the port of Barcelona re-exported 7,439 tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Thailand’s port of Bangkok, an exceptional route driven by war-induced disruptions to global energy flows, according to data accessed by Diari ARA.

The shipments are part of a broader reshaping of the global LNG map, triggered first by the war in Ukraine and Europe’s move to cut off Russian gas, and later by the conflict in Iran. Following attacks by the United States and Israel, the Strait of Hormuz, through which up to a fifth of the world’s crude oil and natural gas previously flowed, has been blocked. Escalating tensions in the Red Sea have further disrupted key shipping lanes.

As a result, countries are pursuing costly and unconventional routes to secure energy supplies. The Barcelona-to-Bangkok route is unusually long and expensive, reflecting what Javier Blas, energy and commodities analyst at Bloomberg, describes as a global shift where “necessity prevails.”

When some countries run out of energy products they buy wherever they can, at any price, and this leads to expensive routes.

Between January and August 2026, a total of 115,606 tons of LNG were loaded at Barcelona’s regasification plant, which has the largest storage capacity among Spain’s seven such facilities, with six tanks. Spain does not produce gas; the plant acts as a transit hub where LNG arriving from one country is re-exported by another vessel.

War Reshapes Global Shipping Routes

Thailand’s LNG shipment from Barcelona is a rare occurrence. Since 2010, only one other shipment from Spain to Thailand has been recorded: 55 GWh in May 2025, according to reports from the Corporation of Strategic Reserves of Petroleum Products (CORES).

Historically, Asian markets sourced LNG from the Persian Gulf, but with Hormuz closed, Europe has become an alternative supplier. In spring 2026, Thailand’s state-owned oil trader PTT International Trading signed its first long-term LNG deal with Norway’s Equinor, as reported by Reuters.

The Bangkok-bound cargo from Barcelona could have taken one of three routes:

  • The Suez Canal, avoided due to Houthi attacks near Bab el-Mandeb
  • The Cape of Good Hope, longer, costlier, and more polluting
  • The Panama Canal, crossing the Atlantic and Pacific to reach the Indian Ocean

ARA requested details from Enagás and the Port of Barcelona on the specific route and timing of the shipment, but no response was received.

Italy Remains Main Recipient of Barcelona’s LNG

While Thailand stands out as an unusual destination, Italy remains the primary recipient of LNG re-exported from Barcelona, receiving 103,520 tons between January and August 2026. This route gained momentum in 2022 when Spain became a key LNG supplier to Europe after the reduction of Russian gas flows.

Other destinations include Gibraltar (2,862 tons), Mauritania and Senegal (853 tons each), and a small shipment to Huelva (50 tons).

Far more LNG has been unloaded at Barcelona than loaded: 1,651,051 tons (about 23,853 GW/h) arrived between January and August, with total discharges reaching 25,882 GW/h. The gas originated from Algeria, Cameroon, the United States, Russia, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania, and Nigeria.

Nationally, Algeria remained Spain’s top supplier (34.8%) in the first eight months of 2026, followed by the United States (28.7%) and Russia (17%). In June alone, Russian gas imports reached 21.1% of the total, surpassing the U.S. share of 12%, according to the Enagás gas bulletin.

Reported by en.ara.cat, es.ara.cat, Diari ARA.