What happened
UKMTO says a tanker was struck by multiple projectiles at ~1900 UTC on Wednesday, October 7, ~51nm north of Madinat ash Shamal, inside Qatar's exclusive economic zone. Casualties were reported. UKMTO has not given a number, said whether anyone died, or named the ship. No one has claimed the attack, and Qatar has not commented.
It is the first tanker attack this deep in the Gulf since September 9, when a vessel was hit off Al-Faw, Iraq. UKMTO has now logged at least nine attacks in and around the Strait of Hormuz in the first seven days of October.
Immediate impact
Until now this month's strikes sat at the strait itself. A hit north of Qatar puts loading routes inside the Gulf back in range. Qatar has no LNG loading alternative outside the Gulf, as we set out in The LNG Exemption Ends. Front-month Brent traded at $105.34 at 6:52 a.m. EDT Thursday, up 5.1% from Wednesday's $100.20 settle. Reports that the Pentagon is preparing for renewed strikes on Iran and a Gulf of Mexico hurricane also fed the move.
What to watch
The casualty count. A confirmed crew death would move this desk's threat assessment from 8/10 to 9/10.
Sources: UKMTO via OilPrice.com, ANI and AFP, October 8; Yahoo Finance quote, October 8.