Pakistan-Bound LNG Carrier Hit in Gulf Despite Reported Iranian Clearance
The Qatari LNG carrier Al Mayeda, bound for Pakistan, was struck by projectiles in the Gulf on Oct. 30. Bloomberg reports Iran had cleared the voyage hours earlier. No one has claimed the attack, and all 25 crew are safe.
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The Marshall Islands-flagged LNG carrier Al Mayeda was hit by projectiles on Friday, Oct. 30, while carrying Qatari gas to Pakistan. Bloomberg reported that Iranian authorities had cleared the voyage hours earlier. It cites people with direct knowledge, and Iran has not commented.
Pakistan negotiated the safe passage with Tehran, Bloomberg says. The ship then turned back into the Persian Gulf, according to vessel-tracking data.
What Is Confirmed
The ship belongs to Qatar Gas Transport Company, known as Nakilat. It said on Nov. 1 that unidentified objects hit the carrier on Friday evening. No crew were injured, and there was no environmental impact.
India’s shipping minister said all 25 crew are safe, including six Indians. Nakilat says the vessel is operational while it assesses the damage.
UKMTO logged a projectile strike on the port side that started a fire. It happened about 40 nautical miles south of Lavan Island, Iran. That is inside the Gulf, not in the Strait of Hormuz itself.
Who Fired Is Unknown
No party has claimed the attack, and the weapon has not been identified. The analytics firm Windward attributed it to Iran and said three projectiles hit around 21:00 Istanbul time.
Iran’s navy said that night that a “fourth supertanker” carrying over 2 million barrels of crude hit a mine. It did not name the ship. That does not match an LNG carrier struck by projectiles, and Clash Report cannot link the two.
What the Iranian Clearance Means
Bloomberg does not say how Iran gave its approval or which body issued it. Iran says ships need its permission to transit Hormuz and has warned that others face “destruction,” Al Jazeera reported.
Pakistan had used the same channel for several Qatari cargoes this month, and those crossed safely, Bloomberg says. UKMTO counts 18 confirmed attacks around the strait since Oct. 6. At least 29 ships were hit in October, according to Al Jazeera.
Qatar Condemns, Pakistan Is Exposed
Qatar’s foreign ministry called the attack a “dangerous act” and said it reserves the right to take all necessary measures. Kuwait also condemned it. Reports reviewed by Clash Report carried no Pakistani comment.
If the cargo does not arrive, Pakistan may have to buy LNG on the spot market, Bloomberg says. Prices there are more than three times pre-war levels. Hormuz LNG flows ran at about 30% of pre-war volumes in October.
Doha already halted efforts to revive LNG output after a tanker attack in July. A Western official has called the U.S. Hormuz mission unsustainable.
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