Qatari LNG tanker struck in Hormuz days after shipments resumed

A liquefied natural gas tanker carrying a Qatari shipment was struck by a projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to security intelligence firms and ship-tracking data, in an attack that threatens to further disrupt deliveries through the contested waterway just days after Qatar resumed shipments.theedgemarkets+1

Security consultancies Vanguard Tech and Marisks identified the vessel as the Gaslog Shanghai, Bloomberg reported on Friday. The UK Maritime Trade Operations center confirmed that a vessel was struck off the Omani coast overnight but did not identify it. There was no environmental impact so far, the UKMTO said.bloomberg+1

The tanker picked up an LNG shipment from Qatar around July 27 and stopped transmitting its signal on July 31 near the western entrance of the strait, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg and Kpler.bloomberg

A Fragile Resumption Shattered

The attack came just two days after Qatar sent its first LNG shipment through the strait since a July 7 attack on the Al Rekayyat gas carrier forced the country to pause all transits for nearly three weeks. That earlier strike prompted QatarEnergy to halt plans to increase output at the Ras Laffan complex, the world's largest LNG facility.thenationalnews+1

The resumption had been seen as a tentative sign of normalizing traffic through the waterway, which Iran has kept largely closed since late February as part of the broader conflict. Qatar, the world's second-largest LNG exporter, depends on the strait for most of its shipments.wikipedia

A Deepening Energy Crisis

The latest incident adds to a cascade of attacks on energy infrastructure across the region. On Wednesday, a drone struck a U.S.-owned LNG vessel at Egypt's Mediterranean port of Damietta, the first such attack on Egyptian soil since the war began. Meanwhile, the Houthi militia in Yemen has escalated threats against Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, potentially cutting off an alternative export route that Saudi Arabia had used to bypass Hormuz.juancole+1

More than four months into the conflict, the world's emergency buffers are wearing thin. Strategic petroleum reserves have fallen to historic lows after a coordinated release of more than 400 million barrels earlier this year, and China has resumed purchasing crude for its refineries after months of voluntary restraint.zmescience

"In Hormuz 2.0, prices will have to do more of the work," said Bob McNally, founder of Rapidan Energy Group. "And they have to go really high, because the problem is demand is inelastic — you've got to eat."zmescience

The crisis has accelerated one shift: the International Energy Agency reported that global electric vehicle sales surged 35% in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the previous quarter, reaching record levels in 50 countries as drivers sought alternatives to volatile fuel prices.indexbox