Tanker hit by multiple projectiles off north coast of Qatar, UKMTO says

British maritime agency has recently reported a rise in attacks on vessels in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.

UKMTO reported an increase in attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz [File: Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images]

A number of casualties have been reported after a tanker sailing off the north coast of Qatar was struck by multiple projectiles, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency has announced.

The vessel was hit by several projectiles 94 kilometres (58 miles) north of Madinat ash Shamal, UKMTO said on Wednesday. The incident comes as the British maritime agency reported a recent rise in attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

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UKMTO did not say how many people were killed or injured in this latest attack, adding that authorities were investigating. It did not specify the origin of the ship.

An attack on a vessel in the middle of the Gulf is unusual. The Maritime Executive, a publication specialising in commercial shipping, said it was the first reported attack on a tanker in the western half of the Gulf in weeks.

Qatar has not commented on the reported attack, which falls within its exclusive economic zone.

Vessels have more commonly been targeted in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway linking the Gulf with the Gulf of Oman.

Before the United States-Israel war on Iran began on February 28, the strait typically handled about 125 large commercial vessels a day, and shipments through it accounted for about 20 percent of global crude and liquefied natural gas supplies.

In retaliation for US-Israeli attacks, Iran effectively closed the strait, while Washington has maintained a blockade on Iranian ports.

UKMTO said on Tuesday that there had been nine attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz this month, representing half of the September total in the waterway and the Gulf combined.

Despite the attacks, oil exports from the Middle East have risen to, and according to provisional data even surpassed , pre-war levels in recent weeks.

The seven-day moving average of Middle East crude exports reached 18.3 million barrels per day (bpd) on September 30, compared with about 18 million bpd on average in the 12 months before the war, according to Kpler, a data firm.

英国海事机构最近报告称，在具有重要战略意义的霍尔木兹海峡，针对船只的袭击事件有所增加。

英国海上运输行动办公室报告称，霍尔木兹海峡发生的船只袭击事件有所增加。[图片：Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images]

英国海事贸易行动局 (UKMTO) 宣布，一艘在卡塔尔北部海岸附近航行的油轮遭到多枚炮弹袭击，造成多人伤亡。

英国海事组织周三表示，这艘船只在马迪纳特·沙马尔以北94公里（58英里）处遭到数枚炮弹袭击。与此同时，英国海事机构报告称，霍尔木兹海峡近期发生的船只袭击事件有所增加。

霍尔木兹号船只袭击事件激增（共 3 例）：石油出口增加是否可持续？

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英国海上运输办公室（UKMTO）没有透露此次袭击事件的伤亡人数，仅表示当局正在调查。该办公室也没有说明涉事船只的来源。

在波斯湾中部发生针对船只的袭击事件实属罕见。《海事行政》杂志是一家专门报道商业航运的刊物，该杂志称这是数周以来波斯湾西部地区首起针对油轮的袭击事件。

据报道，此次袭击事件发生在卡塔尔的专属经济区内，卡塔尔方面尚未对此发表评论。

在具有重要战略意义的霍尔木兹海峡（连接波斯湾和阿曼湾的狭窄水道），船只更容易成为袭击目标。

在2月28日美国和以色列对伊朗发动战争之前，该海峡通常每天通行约125艘大型商船，通过该海峡的货物运输量约占全球原油和液化天然气供应量的20%。

为报复美国和以色列的袭击，伊朗实际上关闭了霍尔木兹海峡，而华盛顿则对伊朗港口实施了封锁。

英国海事组织周二表示，本月霍尔木兹海峡发生了九起油轮袭击事件，占该水道和海湾地区九月份袭击事件总数的一半。

尽管遭受袭击，但近几周来，中东的石油出口量已经回升至战前水平，根据初步数据，甚至超过了战前水平。

据数据公司 Kpler 的数据显示，截至 9 月 30 日，中东原油出口的七日移动平均值达到每天 1830 万桶，而战前 12 个月的平均出口量约为每天 1800 万桶。