DOHA (The Thursday Times) — A Qatari liquefied natural gas carrier was struck by “unidentified objects” while sailing in the Gulf on Friday evening, its owner, Qatar Gas Transport Company, said on Sunday.
None of the crew of the Al Mayeda was hurt and there was no environmental damage, the company said in a statement filed with the Qatar Stock Exchange. The vessel was in a “safe condition, operational” and the impact of the incident was being assessed, it said. The statement did not say what struck the ship or exactly where it was.
More than 120 commercial ships have been hit since the US-Israel war on Iran began in February, according to data from the International Maritime Organization and the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency. October was the worst month of the war for shipping, with at least 29 vessels hit, ahead of the 20 attacks recorded in March.
Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz early in the war and has repeatedly warned that ships trying to pass through it without its permission would face “destruction”. Attacks have risen since the United States reimposed a blockade on Iran’s southern ports in July, and talks on reopening the strait have so far made little progress.
Qatar is one of the world’s largest LNG exporters, and its fleet of carriers supplies buyers across Asia and Europe, including Pakistan.
