A Qatari LNG tanker suffered significant damage after the vessel was hit as it travelled through the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz, four sources with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday, after reports that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards fired missiles at ships transiting the waterway overnight.
It is the first time an LNG ship from Qatar, which is a mediator in the talks between Washington and Tehran, has been struck since the start of the Iran war at the end of February.
The vessel, Al Rekayyat, was loaded with liquefied natural gas and sent out distress signals seeking assistance after it was hit on its port side, one of the sources said, adding the crew were safe. The engine room was on fire and filled with smoke and the crew was unable to assess further damage, they added.
The reports underscored the persistent risks to shipping around the Strait of Hormuz despite the safe passage provisions included in an interim agreement between Washington and Tehran. Iran’s assertion of control over the narrow waterway between it and Oman, through which about a fifth of global oil shipments passed before the conflict, has emerged as one of the most contentious consequences of the US-Israeli war with Iran.
“Now if we use the 100 per cent safe Iranian waters, it means we are dealing with Iranians and admitting the SOH is under their control. If we pass through US/Oman, then you get hit,” one of the sources said.
“The US gives you permission to pass but if something happens on the way, they then say, ‘It is your decision to keep moving or go back’.”
The sources declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak with the media.
The Al Rekayyat is owned and managed by Nakilat, also known as Qatar Gas Transport Company Ltd, which operates one of the world’s largest LNG shipping fleets. LSEG shipping data showed it last transmitted its location on June 18, indicating it was travelling with its transponders switched off.
