A tanker was struck by multiple projectiles off Qatar on Wednesday evening, October 7, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said. The British maritime security agency reported casualties aboard the vessel but gave no number or details of their condition.

The strike occurred in Qatar’s exclusive economic zone, outside the Strait of Hormuz. It followed a week in which maritime security sources recorded the highest level of tanker attacks since the Iran war began.

Strike north of Qatar

UKMTO placed the vessel about 51 nautical miles, or 94 kilometres, north of Madinat ash Shamal on Qatar’s northern coast. The location was in the Gulf, roughly 500 kilometres west of the Strait of Hormuz.

That places this incident away from the strait itself, where other recent attacks on tankers have been reported. The vessel’s flag and origin had not been disclosed by UKMTO.

Authorities were investigating the incident. The origin of the projectiles had not been officially established, and no party had claimed responsibility for the attack.

More attacks around Hormuz

Maritime security sources said attacks around the Strait of Hormuz had reached their highest weekly level since the Iran war began. Their figures covered the week ending October 5, before the latest strike off Qatar.

The accounts differed in how they described those incidents: sources cited by Reuters counted at least 12 attacks, attempted attacks or harassment incidents, while The Guardian reported at least 12 attacks, citing three security sources.

The Reuters account covered oil tankers and gas carriers during the period from September 28 to October 5. The Guardian’s account identified vessels carrying oil, liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas among those targeted around the strait.

Separate attack injures 12 crew members

In a separate incident, India’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday, October 6, that 12 crew members had been injured in an attack on a Panama-flagged oil tanker. That vessel was passing through the Strait of Hormuz when it was hit.

The ministry’s statement concerned a different vessel from the tanker struck off Qatar. For the latest incident, UKMTO reported casualties without specifying how many people had been killed or injured.