A liquefied natural gas carrier bound for Pakistan came under attack near the Strait of Hormuz on Friday evening and turned back into the Persian Gulf, in an incident condemned by Gulf states that highlights Pakistan’s fragile gas supplies.
The vessel, the Al Mayeda, is flagged in the Marshall Islands and owned by Qatar’s Nakilat. It was sailing loaded with Qatari LNG when it was struck by what the company called unidentified objects in Gulf waters. Nakilat said on Sunday that the ship remained safe and operational, no crew member was injured, there was no environmental damage, and an assessment was under way.
Bloomberg reported, citing people with direct knowledge who were not authorised to speak publicly, that Pakistan had negotiated safe passage with Iran and that Iranian authorities were understood to have given clearance only hours before the attack. Pakistan’s petroleum ministry, QatarEnergy and Iran’s foreign ministry did not respond to Bloomberg’s requests for comment, so the clearance account rests on unnamed sources, not on any official statement.
India’s shipping minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, said the vessel had been targeted in a projectile attack and all 25 crew, including six Indian nationals, were safe. Qatar’s foreign ministry condemned the attack on Sunday, said an investigation had opened, and said Qatar reserved the right to take all necessary measures under international law to protect its assets and vessels.
The United Arab Emirates condemned the attack on Monday, describing it as a serious threat to maritime navigation and global energy supplies.
The incident matters for Pakistan because the country faces a winter gas shortfall, with Qatari supplies disrupted. Bloomberg reported that if the cargo cannot be delivered, Pakistan may have to buy replacement gas on the spot market, where prices are more than three times pre-war levels. Flows through the strait held steady in October at roughly 30 per cent of pre-war levels, and Pakistan had arranged safe passage for several other Qatari shipments over the past month.
It remains unclear who was responsible, why the vessel was targeted, or whether it will try again to deliver its cargo. The investigation continues.
