Ras Laffan
Canada’s Quiet Helium Boom, Behind the AI Supply Chain Crisis
A missile strike on a gas plant in Qatar in March knocked out close to a third of the world’s helium supply. Most people did not notice, because most people think helium is for balloons. Chipmakers noticed immediately, because there is no substitute for it anywhere in semiconductor manufacturing. Helium has no futures contract and…
Beyond the Strait: 30-40% of Gulf Refining Capacity Is Already Gone
The Market Is Watching the Wrong Number Brent crude hit $105.73 on Friday. Everyone is tracking the Strait of Hormuz. Nobody is talking about what is already broken. The ceasefire is holding. Just. The US naval blockade of Iranian ports is still active. Iran is still seizing ships. Both sides are using economic strangulation as…
Frozen Flows: A Deep Dive into the Global LNG Supply Shock
Executive Summary The global energy landscape faced a seismic shift on March 2, 2026, as QatarEnergy officially suspended all liquefied natural gas (LNG) production at its Ras Laffan and Mesaieed facilities. This unprecedented shutdown followed a series of coordinated Iranian drone strikes that directly impacted the structural integrity of the world’s most critical gas export…
