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.

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.

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.