Gulf states have condemned the attack on the Qatari liquefied natural gas carrier Al Mayeda, warning that strikes on energy shipping threaten maritime security and global energy supplies. The Qatari tanker attack is the latest in a series of incidents in Gulf waters that has put commercial shipping, and the Strait of Hormuz route, back at the centre of international concern.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that it strongly condemned the attack on Al Mayeda, a carrier owned by Qatar’s Nakilat, describing it as a serious threat to maritime security and global energy supplies. The vessel was struck by unidentified objects on the evening of Friday 30 October while sailing through Gulf waters, according to the ministry and the vessel’s owner. No crew members were injured and no environmental pollution was caused, Nakilat said.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack on Sunday and said the relevant authorities had launched an investigation to establish the circumstances and identify those responsible. Qatar warned that attacks on energy-carrying vessels could threaten regional security, the global economy, the marine environment and water security in countries across the region. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Jordan also condemned the attack, and the Gulf Cooperation Council’s secretary-general, Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, said targeting energy tankers was a dangerous escalation.
A pattern of incidents at sea
The Al Mayeda incident did not happen in isolation. Bloomberg reported that Iran had approved the vessel’s passage through the Strait of Hormuz just hours before the attack, and that the ship, carrying Qatari gas bound for Pakistan, changed course after the incident and returned to waters inside the Gulf.
Separately, Reuters reported that three maritime security sources assessed that the Panama-flagged tanker Louise 1 had been attacked with limpet mines, and India’s shipping minister said all 27 Indian seafarers aboard that vessel, along with the rest of its crew, were safe. The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre also received a relayed distress call on 1 November reporting that another vessel had been hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, though that vessel was not identified.
Why this matters beyond the Gulf
LNG flows through Hormuz fell from 11.7 billion cubic feet a day in the first quarter of 2026 to 0.8 billion in the second quarter, according to US Energy Information Administration data cited in reports, and Bloomberg reported that shipments remained at about 30 per cent of prewar volumes in October. Those figures explain why Gulf governments reacted so quickly: every incident at sea raises insurance costs, reroutes cargoes and tightens energy markets far beyond the region. Qatar has reserved the right to take necessary measures under international law to protect its vessels and crews, but it has not identified an attacker, and its investigation continues.
