LNG Carrier Attacked Near Hormuz Hours After Iran Cleared Passage

The liquefied natural gas carrier Al Mayeda came under fire near the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, just hours after Iranian authorities gave Pakistan a green light for its safe passage, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter. The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel was loaded with Qatari LNG and sailing toward the waterway when it was attacked; ship-tracking data shows it subsequently turned around and headed back into the Persian Gulf.

Pakistan had negotiated directly with Iran to secure safe transit for the tanker before the incident, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief the media. It was not immediately clear why the vessel was fired on, or whether it will still attempt to reach its destination.

What has Qatar said?

"Qatar reserves its right to take all necessary measures, in accordance with international law and the UN Charter, to protect its assets and safeguard its vessels and their crews," the Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday. Qatari authorities are investigating the incident and those responsible for it, the ministry added.

Qatar Gas Transport Company Ltd., known as Nakilat, said on Sunday that the carrier remained operational and was being assessed. Pakistan's petroleum ministry, QatarEnergy and Iran's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Indian Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal wrote on X that the ship had been targeted in a projectile attack. All 25 crew members, including six Indian nationals, were safe, he said, without providing further details.

How unusual was this attack?

The incident breaks a pattern of successful transits. Over the past month, Pakistan — drawing on its ties with Tehran and its role as a mediator — communicated with Iranian authorities over the safety of several other Qatari LNG shipments, all of which crossed successfully into the Gulf of Oman, the people said.

The strike fits a broader escalation around the strait:

• A small boat attached two limpet mines to the hull of a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, causing an engine-room fire and temporarily disabling the vessel — the first successful use of such explosives in the waterway since the US war with Iran began in February, maritime sources said on Friday.
• A container ship sank near the strait after being hit by a projectile, and a separate dry bulk vessel is sinking in another incident, maritime security sources said on Wednesday.
• A vessel was struck by an unknown projectile 13 nautical miles west of Al Jazeera in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, causing a fire that has since been extinguished, according to UKMTO, the British navy-affiliated agency, citing multiple sources.

What does it mean for LNG flows and Pakistan?

LNG flows through Hormuz held steady in October at about 30% of pre-war levels — roughly a third of the volume the waterway carried before the conflict began. Qatar has been sending cargoes through consistently since September, including on older vessels that help reduce the additional insurance costs attached to the risky voyages.

For Pakistan, the failed shipment lands on top of an energy shortfall it has grappled with for months as a result of upheaval in the Middle East. Without this LNG cargo, Pakistan could be forced into the spot market, where prices currently sit at more than three times pre-war levels — a jump that translates into sharply higher costs for a country already short of power-generation fuel.

The attack also underscores the limits of diplomatic safe-passage arrangements in a theater where explosives and projectiles are finding their targets regardless of prior clearance. For charterers and insurers, the gap between an Iranian green light and an actual firing incident near Hormuz will weigh on how future voyages are priced and routed.