QatarEnergy chartered tanker Aqua 1 hit by missile attack near Qatar

A fuel oil tanker on charter to QatarEnergy, Aqua 1, was hit by a missile attack in Qatar's northern waters. The crew is safe with no environmental impact. This follows earlier attacks on Ras Laffan which disrupted LNG exports and caused major damage.

Tanker 'Aqua 1' Hit by Missile Attack

QatarEnergy has confirmed that the Aqua 1, a fuel oil tanker on charter to QatarEnergy, has been the subject of a missile attack in the northern territorial waters of the State of Qatar in the early morning hours of Wednesday. QatarEnergy says none of the crew members on board were injured, and there is no impact on the environment as a result of this incident.

Meanwhile, the UK Maritime Organisation (UKMTO) reported that it had received a report of an incident 17NM north of Ras Laffan, Qatar. The Company Security Officer reported the tanker has been hit by unknown projectile on the port side causing damage to the hull above water line. UKMTO said that the crew was reported as safe and there was no environmental impact.

UKMTO further said that could confirm the vessel was struck by two projectiles. One caused a fire which was later extinguished. The other remained unexploded within the vessels engine room. UKMTO said it was unable to confirm the source of the projectiles and said that it was continuing to investigate.

Previous Attacks Disrupted LNG Exports

Earlier, Missile attacks on Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City significantly disrupted global energy supplies, reducing the country's liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity by 17 per cent and raising concerns for import-dependent nations.

In an official statement, QatarEnergy said the strikes, which occurred on March 18 and early March 19, 2026, caused extensive damage to key production facilities and are expected to result in an estimated loss of USD 20 billion in annual revenue.

The company added that repairs could take up to five years, forcing it to declare long-term force majeure on some LNG contracts.

Details on Damaged LNG Facilities

As per official statement by Qatar, the attacks damaged two liquefied natural gas (LNG) producing Trains 4 and 6 totaling 12.8 million tons per annum (MTPA) of production, representing approximately 17 per cent of Qatar's exports. Train 4 is a joint venture between QatarEnergy (66 per cent) and ExxonMobil (34 per cent), and Train 6 is a joint venture between QatarEnergy (70 per cent) and ExxonMobil (30 per cent).

The attacks also targeted the Pearl GTL (Gas-to-Liquids) facility, a production sharing agreement operated by Shell, that converts natural gas into high-quality cleaner burning drop-in fuels and produces base oils used to make premium engine oils and lubricants, and paraffins and waxes. (ANI)

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