A tanker struck off Qatar was hit by two projectiles, one causing a fire that has since been extinguished and another remaining unexploded in the vessel’s engine room, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Wednesday.
The vessel was struck about 17 nautical miles (31 km) north of Qatar’s Ras Laffan industrial hub, causing damage above the waterline, with the crew safe and no environmental impact reported.
UKMTO said it was unable to confirm the source of the projectiles and that investigations were ongoing.
The incident comes amid growing threats to maritime traffic as the US-Israel conflict with Iran intensifies across the region.
Kuwait said on Tuesday that one of its fully loaded oil tankers was targeted off Dubai, triggering a fire. Maritime authorities have also reported multiple security incidents affecting vessels in Gulf waters in recent days.


![[Pitik Bulag] April Fool’s Day in cartoons](https://pitikbulag.rappler.com/tachyon/sites/18/2026/04/zach.jpg?resize=150%2C150&crop_strategy=attention)