Qatargas Energy signed a 20-year contract last week to buy three million tons of liquefied natural gas annually from Woodside Energy in Louisiana, and a week earlier it reached an agreement with Shear Energy for up to four million tons until 2054.

Deliveries begin in 2030 and 2031, making Qatar the largest buyer of liquefied natural gas in the United States.

Reuters assessed that Qatar, the world’s second-largest liquefied natural gas exporter, in practice is buying insurance against disruption to its own exports, because it has no other export route besides the Strait of Hormuz.

In March, an Islamic Republic missile damaged two units out of 14 LNG units at Ras Laffan and knocked out 17% of Qatar’s export capacity.

Qatargas Energy said this annual shutdown earns about $20 billion in revenue, and the repairs will take three years.

Revolutionary Guard attacks on liquefied natural gas vessels and oil tankers have caused disruptions to the export process of countries along the Persian Gulf.