TOKYO/LONDON - President Vladimir Putin has raised the stakes in an economic war with the West and its allies with a decree that seizes full control of the Sakhalin-2 gas and oil project in Russia's far east, a move that could force out Shell and Japanese investors. The order, signed on Thursday, creates a new firm to take over all rights and obligations of Sakhalin Energy Investment Co, in which Shell and two Japanese trading companies Mitsui and Mitsubishi hold just under 50%. The five-page decree, which follows Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, indicates the Kremlin will now decide whether the foreign partners can stay. State-run Gazprom already has a 50% plus one share stake in Sakhalin-2, which accounts for about 4% of the world's liquefied natural gas (LNG) production. The move threatens to unsettle an already tight LNG market, although Moscow said it saw no reason for Sakhalin-2 deliveries to stop. Japan imports 10% of its LNG each year from Russia, mainly under long-term contract from Sakhalin-2. The action also raises the risks facing Western companies still in Russia. "Russia's decree effectively expropriates foreign stakes in the Sakhalin Energy Investment Company, marking a further escalation in ongoing tensions," said Lucy Cullen, a principal analyst from consultancy Wood Mackenzie.

Qatar Fuel was formally created by virtue of Emiri decree no. 5 issued on 10 February 2002.Its assets were transferred from QatarEnergy's subsidiary National Oil Distribution Company (NODCO), which managed a refined petroleum product supply depot in Abu Hamour. In 2009, Qatar Fuel established a liquefied petroleum gas plant in Doha's Industrial Area. During an Extraordinary General Assembly held in June 2018, the company made the decision to increase non-Qatari ownership to 49% in order to attract investments. A budget of QR 634 million was allocated for 2018 to be earmarked for the construction of new filling stations and the development of currently existing ones. According to company officials, plans are in place to install 88 filling stations by the end of 2018 with a total of 100 by 2020.