Tanker Struck by Two Projectiles Off Qatar as Gulf Shipping Attacks Continue at Record Pace

A tanker was struck by two unidentified projectiles about 50 nautical miles north of Madinat ash Shamal, Qatar, late Wednesday, British maritime authorities said Thursday, in the latest attack on commercial shipping in the Gulf during the war between the United States and Iran.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency, known as UKMTO, said it received a report of the incident at 11:20 p.m. GMT on Wednesday, November 4. The agency said the condition of the crew, the extent of the damage to the ship and any effect on the environment had not been confirmed, and it advised vessels to transit with caution while authorities investigate. The tanker was not named, and no group has claimed the attack. No government has publicly blamed anyone for it.

Attacks running at a record pace

The strike came as attacks on tankers in the Gulf continued at a pace close to a record. At least five vessels have reported incidents since Sunday, according to UKMTO, around the same rate as in October, when the agency said 35 vessels were hit, the most of any month of the war. On November 3, UKMTO reported two unidentified projectiles striking a tanker’s engine room about 14 nautical miles northeast of Limah village in Oman, with no casualties reported.

Earlier Thursday, Iran said two oil tankers and a tugboat caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz after using routes Tehran had not approved. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said one tanker hit a naval mine while crossing a passage south of the strait. The claims have not been verified, and United States Central Command has rejected earlier Iranian claims of mine strikes in the strait as inaccurate.

Oil prices steady as mediation continues

Oil prices rose slightly on Thursday after falling more than 8 percent on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. Reuters reported prices were still down more than $20 a barrel from last week, as traders weighed whether the midterm losses suffered by President Donald Trump’s party would make him less likely to restart the strikes he launched alongside Israel in February.

Qatar said on Tuesday that the United States and Iran were committed to mediation and were reviewing proposals aimed at bridging their differences. Iranian officials have been meeting with Qatari mediators since last week, according to Reuters, but neither side has announced a breakthrough on the issues that have kept a peace agreement out of reach, including the future of the strait, a United States blockade on Iranian ports and sanctions on Iran.

Reporting based on coverage by Reuters, the Associated Press and UK Maritime Trade Operations.