Another vessel has been attacked off Ras Laffan, Qatar, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported today. This comes after several missile strikes on LNG facilities in the country.
A vessel was struck by an unknown projectile on 19 March, according to the UKMTO. The vessel, which was not identified, was about 4 nautical miles (7 kilometres) east of Ras Laffan when the incident happened. The notice did not mention if the vessel sustained damage, but the crew were reported to be safe.
The UKMTO had issued a separate notice several hours earlier about another unnamed vessel off the UAE’s Khawr Fakkan being struck by an unknown projectile, resulting in a fire onboard.
The latest strike adds to the growing list of attacks on commercial shipping and offshore infrastructure in the Mideast Gulf since the US and Israel began strikes on Iran on 28 February.
Qatar’s Ras Laffan industrial complex sustained damage after being the target of a missile strike late on 18 March. Tehran had earlier warned that the 305,000 b/d Ras Laffan refinery was among five facilities it would attack in retaliation for what it described as US-Israeli strikes on Iranian gas treatment plants at the South Pars gas field.
Not long after that, a second strike on Qatar was launched. Several LNG facilities were the subject of missile attacks, state-owned QatarEnergy said, which caused sizeable fires and extensive further damage.
