According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a tanker traveling off the northern coast of Qatar was struck by multiple flying objects, causing a number of casualties.
UKMTO said the incident occurred 94 km north of Madinat ash Shamal on Wednesday. The agency did not specify the number of dead or injured, saying authorities were investigating and that it would not disclose the vessel's nationality.
It is an unusual attack in the middle of the Gulf. Maritime Executive, a publication specializing in commercial shipping, described it as the first reported attack targeting a tanker in the western half of the Gulf in several weeks.
Qatar has not commented on the incident, which took place in its exclusive economic zone. Vessels have been more frequently targeted in the Strait of Hormuz — the strategic shipping route connecting the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.
Before the war between the United States, Israel and Iran began on February 28, the Strait of Hormuz saw about 125 large commercial vessels pass through daily, and the volume of goods transported through it accounted for roughly 20% of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.
In retaliation for U.S.-Israeli strikes, Iran has effectively closed the strait, while Washington maintains a blockade of Iran's ports.
On Tuesday, UKMTO said there had been nine attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz this month, half the total number of incidents in September across both the strait and the Gulf combined.
Despite the attacks, oil exports from the Middle East have risen and, according to preliminary data, even exceeded pre-war levels in recent weeks.
According to data firm Kpler, the seven-day moving average of Middle East crude oil exports reached 18.3 million barrels per day on September 30, compared with about 18 million barrels per day in the 12 months before the war.
