Tanker struck north of Qatar; crew status unconfirmed

A tanker was struck by two unidentified projectiles in the Arabian Gulf around 50 nautical miles north of Madinat ash Shamal, Qatar, at 23:20 UTC on November 4. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency confirmed the incident and issued an advisory urging tankers and other traffic in the area to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity.

UKMTO did not name the tanker, its flag, or its type. At the time of the advisory, crew status was unconfirmed and no damage assessment had been made. No environmental impact was reported.

The attack follows a run of incidents across Gulf waters stretching back to late October. Last week, an Indian seafarer was killed when the MSV Al Jusufi was struck off Oman. Three days before that, a tanker took two projectile hits near Ras Al Khafji in waters off Saudi Arabia.

No country or armed group has claimed the November 4 attack. Authorities are continuing to investigate.