Projectiles hit tanker off Qatar as Gulf shipping risks mount
British military reports two impacts 50 nautical miles north of Madinat ash Shamal, while South Korea proposes expanding its naval anti-piracy zone.
By Austin Reed ·
A commercial tanker took two projectile hits off the coast of Qatar on Wednesday, according to the British military. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center, known as UKMTO, confirmed the strike occurred 50 nautical miles north of the city of Madinat ash Shamal. The center did not release the name of the vessel or the country whose flag it flies. As of Thursday, the status of the crew remained unconfirmed, and officials had not determined the extent of the damage or any resulting environmental impact.
UKMTO noted in a report from last month that it is struggling to provide an accurate count of such incidents. The organization stated that a majority of ships now refuse to report attacks, which complicates real-time tracking of maritime threats in the region.
South Korea is moving to widen the operational scope of its naval unit stationed near Somalia. Defense Ministry spokesperson Chung Binna announced on Thursday that the military proposes extending the mission area of the Cheonghae unit to include waters south of Oman. The expanded zone would reach as far as the port of Duqm, a location situated more than 650 kilometers from the Strait of Hormuz. Chung explained that conflicts in the Middle East have driven up pirate activity, prompting the need for additional patrol aircraft and an explosive ordnance disposal team.
The South Korean government aims to keep this expansion distinct from the ongoing war between the United States and Iran. Chung stated that the country will not join military operations to secure freedom of navigation near the Strait of Hormuz unless specific allowable circumstances arise. She defined those conditions as either the end of the war or a formal agreement to stop the fighting. The changes require approval from President Lee Jae Myung and the national legislature.
In Tehran, state television reported that two oil tankers and a towboat struck naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. The vessels reportedly caught fire after the incidents, though the report did not specify casualties or the flags of the ships. Iranian state media also cited the Revolutionary Guard as claiming the seizure of two U.S. drones in the airspace above the strait. These statements follow the closure of the waterway by Tehran in February, a move that halted the flow of approximately 20% of the world's oil supply.
Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi spoke by phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday. The two officials discussed practical, political, and technical methods to resume navigation through the strait without obstacles. They previously met in Tehran in August to establish a framework for managing ship traffic in the area.
