A tanker has been struck by multiple projectiles north of Qatar’s tip in the first such attack deep within the Persian Gulf in nearly a month.
A tanker has reported being struck by multiple projectiles 51 nautical miles north of Madinat ash Shamal, Qatar, UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which is affiliated with the Royal Navy, reported.
Casualties have been reported, and authorities are investigating, UKMTO said about the incident, the report of which was received late on Wednesday local time.
This is the first reported attack so deep in the Persian Gulf since a tanker was hit by an unknown projectile south-east of Al-Faw, Iraq, on September 9.
Over the past month, most reported attacks and incidents have taken place in or very close to the Strait of Hormuz.
Oil flows and tanker activity in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz have picked up in recent weeks, and some estimates put crude flows at nearly reaching pre-war levels.
But reports of attacks have also increased.
UKMTO reported nine attacks in and around the Strait of Hormuz in just the first seven days of October, half the number of all attacks reported in the entire previous month.
The number of attacks on tankers in the area has jumped in recent days, threatening the lifeline of the Gulf oil exporters and another jump in oil prices.
In the week to October 5, at least 12 attacks on oil, LNG, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tankers took place around the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reports, citing data from maritime security sources.
“IRGC attacks, attempted attacks, and/or harassment activity persisted, including UAV overflight, targeted surveillance of merchant shipping, and occasional VHF hailing,” the US Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) said in a Sunday note.
“These actions continue to demonstrate Iran’s intent to assert presence along key transit lanes and maintain pressure on transiting vessels.”
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
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