Tanker struck by projectiles off Qatar, crew killed

Thu Oct 08 2026 12:19:13 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

An Antigua‑flagged oil tanker was hit by multiple projectiles 51 nmi north of Qatar, killing crew members amid rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

A cargo tanker flying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda was damaged by a volley of projectiles in the Gulf of Oman, triggering casualties among the crew. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency confirmed the attack, which occurs as maritime assaults surge following the Iran conflict. Seven vessels have suffered attacks with losses reported since the war began, and the last fatal incident involved a Panama‑flagged tanker near Oman. The Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil conduit, has been largely closed but remains a flashpoint as US and Iranian military forces patrol the waters.

A tanker flying the flag of Antigua & Barbuda was struck by multiple projectiles 51 nautical miles north of Madinat al‑Shamal, Qatar, UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed, reporting casualties among the crew.

The vessel, identified by maritime intelligence firm Vanguard as the oil and chemical tanker Acers, had been steaming toward the Strait of Hormuz, the key waterway linking the Gulf of Oman with the Persian Gulf.

Its attack joins a string of maritime strikes that have surged since the beginning of the Iran‑US conflict in February. As of now, 24 seafarers have lost their lives in 93 confirmed incidents, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) reports.

The most recent fatal attack occurred on 9 September, when two sailors were killed aboard the Panama‑flagged tanker El Gaia in the Strait of Hormuz, just north of Oman’s Musandam peninsula.

Vanguard also reported a fire on another tanker, likely the Marshall Islands‑flagged Dhalkut, in the Gulf of Oman about 40 km east of Fujairah, but UKMTO has not confirmed an incident there.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which around one‑fifth of the world’s oil travels, was effectively shut after the war began due to Tehran’s missile and drone attacks on commercial shipping and a US‑led naval blockade of Iranian ports. A preliminary cease‑fire agreement in June briefly reopened the channel, only for hostilities to resume and the blockade to be reinstated.

To keep regional oil flows running, the US Navy has been escorting tankers through the strait. Despite the conflict, crude exports averaged 12 million barrels per day over the past two weeks—about 80 percent of pre‑war levels, according to shipping data company Kpler.