Tanker struck by projectiles off Qatar as shipping tensions rise

Thu Oct 08 2026 11:59:57 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A tanker 51 nautical miles north of Qatar was hit by multiple projectiles, killing crew members as attacks on merchant vessels in the Gulf continue after the Iran war.

A tanker flagged under Antigua and Barbuda was struck by multiple projectiles 51 nautical miles north of Qatar, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), with casualties reported on board. Maritime intelligence firm Vanguard identified the vessel as the oil and chemical tanker Acers, which was sailing toward the Strait of Hormuz. The incident adds to a series of attacks on merchant shipping since the start of the Iran war in February, with 24 seafarers killed in 93 confirmed incidents. The last fatal incident was on 9 September when the Panama‑flagged tanker El Gaia was hit in the Strait of Hormuz. The Gulf sees a fragile balance between the US blockade of Iranian ports and Iran’s efforts to maintain control over the waterway, with crude exports running at about 12 million barrels per day, roughly 80 % of pre‑war levels.

Tanker struck by projectiles off Qatar as shipping tensions rise

A tanker has been hit by multiple projectiles 51 nautical miles (94 km) north of Qatar, UKMTO stated, reporting casualties on board.

Maritime intelligence firm Vanguard identified the vessel as the Antigua and Barbuda‑flagged oil and chemical tanker Acers, which had been heading toward the Strait of Hormuz, a key choke‑point that connects the Arabian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.

This incident follows a renewed wave of attacks on merchant ships in the Gulf since the US‑Israel‑Iran war began in February 2026, with 24 seafarers killed in 93 confirmed incidents according to the International Maritime Organization.

The last fatal attack was on 9 September when two sailors died aboard the Panama‑flagged tanker El Gaia in the Strait of Hormuz, north of Omani waters. The Acers strike is the first such attack west of the Strait of Hormuz since that day.

Vanguard also reported a fire aboard another tanker, the Marshall Islands‑flagged Dhalkut, 40 km east of Fujairah in the Gulf of Oman; the cause remains unclear and UKMTO has not reported an incident there.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil and gas traffic normally passes, was effectively shut during the early‑stage war due to Iranian missile and drone strikes and the US naval blockade of Iranian ports. Although a temporary agreement in June meant the strait would reopen, both sides resumed hostilities and the blockade was reinstated.

Iran has stated it will retain some control over the waterway, preferring a southern route through Omani waters that avoids Iranian waters. To keep gas and oil flows steady, the US military has been escorting tankers through the strait.

Analysts at shipping data firm Kpler report that crude exports through the Strait of Hormuz have averaged 12 million barrels per day, about 80 % of pre‑war levels.