Tanker Hit Off Qatar in Renewed Wave of Gulf Attacks After 9-Day Lull

A fuel oil tanker chartered by QatarEnergy has been struck by a missile in waters off Qatar, marking a sharp escalation in maritime attacks and pushing the threat envelope closer to one of the world’s most critical LNG export hubs.

QatarEnergy confirmed that the tanker Aqua 1 was hit in the early hours of April 1 while operating in northern Qatari territorial waters. The company said no crew members were injured and no pollution has been reported.

UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the vessel was struck by two projectiles approximately 17 nautical miles north of Ras Laffan. One impact caused a fire that has since been extinguished, while a second projectile remains unexploded in the vessel’s engine room, according to maritime security reports.

Qatar’s Ministry of Defense said the incident was part of a broader missile attack, reporting that three cruise missiles were launched toward the country from Iran. According to the ministry, two of the missiles were successfully intercepted by Qatari air defenses, while a third struck the tanker in territorial waters. Authorities said the vessel’s 21 crew members were safely evacuated with no casualties.

Missile attacks previously caused damage to facilities at the Ras Laffan Industrial City, the world’s largest LNG export hub. QatarEnergy indicated repairs could take years and that roughly 17% of its export capacity had been disrupted.

The attack is the latest in a rapid resurgence of incidents following a nine-day lull, with at least three vessels targeted across the Gulf in the past 24 hours.

The strike follows closely on Monday’s drone attack on the Kuwaiti-flagged VLCC Al Salmi off Dubai, which was carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude when it was hit at anchorage. That incident triggered a fire but resulted in no injuries or pollution.

Taken together, the back-to-back attacks signal a renewed escalation after a brief pause and highlight the expanding geographic scope of risk—from anchorages off the UAE to waters surrounding Qatar’s LNG export infrastructure.

The Aqua 1 is a medium-range (MR) tanker of roughly 48,000 deadweight tons—significantly smaller than the VLCC targeted off Dubai earlier this week

The renewed attacks come as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains at historically depressed levels. Data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence shows daily cargo vessel transits collapsing from roughly 120–140 ships per day in early February to near-zero levels in early March following the escalation. While limited movements have resumed, volumes remain a fraction of normal.

Tanker-specific flows paint an equally stark picture. According to ship-tracking analysts at TankerTrackers, just 84 tankers departed the Middle East via the Strait of Hormuz during the entire month of March—an average of fewer than three per day.

UKMTO data underscores the broader trend. As of April 1, the agency has recorded 25 incidents affecting vessels across the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman since the conflict escalated on February 28, including 16 confirmed attacks and nine reports of suspicious activity.

The latest strike underscores the continued vulnerability of energy shipping in the Gulf—even outside the narrow confines of the Strait of Hormuz—and raises fresh concerns for operators as attacks edge closer to critical export infrastructure.

With traffic already reduced to a trickle and war-risk premiums elevated, the return of strikes after a brief lull is likely to further erode confidence in Gulf transits and complicate any near-term recovery in flows through the region.

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