Doha, April 1 — QatarEnergy confirmed that the fuel oil tanker Aqua 1, which is on charter to the company, was struck by a missile in Qatar’s northern territorial waters in the early hours of Wednesday. The company reported that all crew members are safe, there were no injuries and no environmental contamination was observed.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) located the incident about 17 nautical miles north of Ras Laffan. According to the vessel’s Company Security Officer, an unidentified projectile struck the tanker’s port side, damaging the hull above the waterline. UKMTO said two projectiles hit the ship: one ignited a fire that was subsequently extinguished, while the other remained unexploded in the engine room. The organisation said it could not yet verify the origin of the projectiles and that investigations are ongoing.
The report comes after mid‑March missile attacks on Ras Laffan Industrial City that severely disrupted global energy flows. QatarEnergy said strikes on March 18 and early March 19, 2026, inflicted extensive damage to key production facilities, reducing the country’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity by roughly 17 percent and raising concerns among import‑dependent nations.
In an official statement, QatarEnergy said the damage is expected to translate into about USD 20 billion in lost annual revenue, that repairs could take up to five years, and that it has declared long‑term force majeure on some LNG contracts. The company said the attacks damaged LNG Trains 4 and 6 — together responsible for 12.8 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of output, or roughly 17 percent of Qatar’s exports. Train 4 is a joint venture of QatarEnergy (66 percent) and ExxonMobil (34 percent); Train 6 is a joint venture of QatarEnergy (70 percent) and ExxonMobil (30 percent). The strikes also affected the Pearl GTL facility, a Shell‑operated project that converts natural gas into cleaner fuels and industrial feedstocks.
Investigations into the Aqua 1 incident remain under way, and authorities have not publicly identified who was responsible for the attack. This report is based on a syndicated feed; the publisher assumes no responsibility for its accuracy or completeness.
