A Qatari LNG tanker suffered significant damage after the vessel was hit as it travelled through the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz, four sources with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday, after reports that Iran's Revolutionary Guards fired missiles at ships transiting the waterway overnight.
It is the first time an LNG ship from Qatar, which is a mediator in the talks between Washington and Tehran, has been struck since the start of the Iran war at the end of February.
The vessel, Al Rekayyat, was loaded with liquefied natural gas and sent out distress signals seeking assistance after it was hit on its port side, one of the sources said, adding the crew were safe.
The engine room was on fire and filled with smoke and the crew was unable to assess further damage, they added.
The reports underscored the persistent risks to shipping around the Strait of Hormuz despite the safe passage provisions included in an interim agreement between Washington and Tehran.
Iran's assertion of control over the narrow waterway between it and Oman, through which about a fifth of global oil shipments passed before the conflict, has emerged as one of the most contentious consequences of the US-Israeli war with Iran.
“Now if we use the 100 per cent safe Iranian waters, it means we are dealing with Iranians and admitting the SOH is under their control. If we pass through US/Oman, then you get hit,” one of the sources said.
"The US gives you permission to pass but if something happens on the way, they then say, 'It is your decision to keep moving or go back'."
The sources declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak with the media.
The Al Rekayyat is owned and managed by Nakilat, also known as Qatar Gas Transport Company, which operates one of the world's largest LNG shipping fleets. LSEG shipping data showed it last transmitted its location on June 18, indicating it was travelling with its transponders switched off.
Axios earlier reported the IRGC fired at least two missiles at commercial ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night, citing two US officials. Two commercial ships suffered significant damage but there were no casualties, the report said, citing a US official.
The Al Rekayyat's location at the time it was hit, given by one of the sources, matches the position described in an advisory from Britain's maritime security agency, indicating it was the tanker involved in that incident.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said the tanker was struck on its port side by an unknown projectile while travelling southbound about eight nautical miles (15 kilometres) east of Oman's Limah, causing a fire. No casualties or environmental impact had been reported, UKMTO said.
Reuters could not immediately verify the Axios report, and could not determine whether the Al Rekayyat was among the two ships it described.
Nakilat, QatarEnergy, Qatar's International Media Office and US Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Indirect US-Iran talks ended last week without any public sign of headway toward a lasting peace, despite a 60-day ceasefire intended to create space for diplomacy to end the conflict.
President Donald Trump said on Monday the US would either reach a deal with Iran or, "finish the job," renewing his threat of military action as Tehran projects defiance following the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the initial US-Israeli attacks.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned ships via maritime radio over the weekend that, "our missiles and drones are ready to fire at you," the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, quoting from a recording it obtained.
Investors have been keeping a close eye on talks between the US and Iran over the fate of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz while tracking the recovery in Persian Gulf oil exports.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward, Costas Pitas, Mrinmay Dey and Enas Alashray; Writing by Yousef Saba; Editing by Christian Martinez, Lincoln Feast, Jamie Freed and Kate Mayberry)
