Qatari LNG carrier Al Mayeda struck in Gulf waters

The LNG carrier Al Mayeda was struck near Hormuz on Friday hours after Iran had approved its passage, Bloomberg reported on Sunday, citing people with direct knowledge of Pakistan's negotiations for the cargo's safe transit.

Why it matters: If a cargo struck hours after Tehran green-lit its passage was hit anyway, Iran's approval system for Hormuz transits does not protect the ships it clears, and every buyer negotiating passage now has to price that failure.

Data as of Update 2026-11-01: Bloomberg report of November 1, 2026, read via the live browser; only the article's opening was accessible behind the Bloomberg paywall, and the passage account rests on unnamed people with direct knowledge of the matter, so the update ships at grade C. Original: Qatar News Agency report of November 1, 2026, as reported by AFP and published by Arab News, read in full via the live browser; the article dates the strike to Friday evening and gives no more specific location for the vessel. Russian wires (TASS, RT, Kommersant and Vedomosti, in Russian) carried reports of the same attack in the feed pool for this run, with Kommersant reporting that Nakilat confirmed the attack on the Al Mayeda in the Strait of Hormuz. The account rests on the Qatari agency and the company's statement, a single origin carried by several outlets, so the item ships at grade C. Developing item.

Latest: Pakistan had negotiated safe passage for the Al Mayeda’s cargo with Iran before the attack, and Iranian authorities were understood to have given the transit a green light just hours before the ship came under fire near the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, Bloomberg reported on Sunday, citing people with direct knowledge of the matter who asked not to be named. The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel was sailing toward the waterway loaded with liquefied natural gas from Qatar when it was hit. Neither the attacker nor any Iranian response to the report has been identified.

Qatar’s state news agency reported on Sunday that the Al Mayeda, a liquefied natural gas carrier belonging to the Qatar Gas Transport Company, was struck by unidentified objects while transiting Gulf waters on Friday evening, AFP reported. No crew member was injured and there was no environmental impact, and the company said the ship was in a safe condition and operational. No claim of responsibility for the attack was reported, and the strike follows Thursday’s limpet mine attack on the tanker Louise 1 in the Strait of Hormuz.

Qatari LNG carrier Al Mayeda struck in Gulf waters

Sources