Tanker Attack Near Qatar Escalates Hormuz Shipping Crisis

Commercial shipping faced renewed danger in the Persian Gulf after a tanker was hit by multiple projectiles off northern Qatar, while Iran threatened to close a maritime route used by vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The October 7 attack occurred amid continuing regional hostilities, raising fresh concerns about shipping safety and energy exports. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that the vessel was struck approximately 51 nautical miles (94 kilometers) from Madinat al-Shamal, Qatar.

Authorities reported casualties, but the number and severity of injuries were not immediately established in the available information. Maritime intelligence firm Vanguard identified the tanker as Acers, which sails under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda. The vessel had been reported heading toward the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, according to the BBC.

The incident was notable because it occurred farther west than the waterway's usual high-risk transit areas. Martin Kelly, head of advisory at EOS Risk Group, said it was the first reported attack at such a distance west of the strait since September 9.

Separately, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had struck a large liquefied petroleum gas carrier named NV Sunshine. Al Jazeera reported that the Iranian force accused the vessel of attempting to use a route it considered illegal south of the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia also reported attacks affecting King Khalid International Airport, north of Riyadh. The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority said two attacks occurred on Thursday, killing three Saudi citizens.

The attacks came as maritime security data showed a sharp increase in threats to commercial vessels. According to figures cited by The Guardian from three security sources, at least 12 attacks targeted oil, liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas tankers around the strait during the week ending October 5. India's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that 12 crew members had been injured in an attack on a Panama-flagged oil tanker transiting the waterway. The United Nations' International Maritime Organization reported at least 24 seafarer deaths across 93 confirmed incidents since the conflict began.

The organization's latest cited fatal incident before the Qatar attack occurred on September 9, when two sailors were killed aboard the Panama-flagged tanker El Gaia in the Strait of Hormuz, north of Oman's Musandam peninsula. The IRGC has maintained that Iran controls the strait and has challenged claims that commercial traffic is recovering. Its adviser Majid Mirahmadi said an average of 10 ships crossed daily, compared with approximately 125 before the war.

Mohammadreza Naqdi, an adviser to the IRGC commander, described the alternative routes as pathways created by damaging rocky passages. He claimed they were being used by small boats to smuggle oil and transfer it to tankers.

Iran's position contrasts with that of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who disputed Tehran's assessment of maritime control. Rubio said Iran had lost control of the waterway and indicated that oil flows were approaching prewar levels.

The US military has provided protection for tankers carrying oil through the strait to maintain exports from Gulf Arab states. According to shipping data company Kpler, crude exports through the waterway averaged 12 million barrels per day over the preceding two weeks, approximately 80% of prewar levels. The Strait of Hormuz normally carries around one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, making disruptions there a significant concern for international energy markets.

The United States has also maintained a blockade of Iranian ports, while attacks on commercial shipping have continued during the conflict that began on February 28. In a separate maritime incident, Vanguard corrected an earlier report concerning the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Dhalkut, which was reported near Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. The company said there were no indications that a fire had occurred aboard the vessel.