A small fire has broken out on a vessel off the coast of Qatar as a result of a shell strike, the Royal Navy's Merchant Marine Operations Team (UKMTO) has announced.
„UKMTO was alerted to an incident 23 nautical miles north-east of Doha, Qatar. The master of the bulk carrier reported a shell strike. A fire broke out which has been extinguished.
There were no casualties. "No environmental impacts have been reported," the statement said.
The incident has been classified as an attack and authorities are investigating the case.
The ship remains seaworthy with no evidence of environmental damage.
Regional authorities are investigating, and it is not yet clear whose projectile it was.
The attack coincided with an attempt by the Qatari liquefied gas tanker Al Kharaitiyat to transit the strait to Pakistan - Qatar's first such attempt since the start of active hostilities.
Hours before the strike, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a public warning that any ship from a country complying with US sanctions on Iran would face serious difficulties transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
A fragile truce is currently in place between the US, Israel and Iran, but Iran continues to maintain a de facto naval blockade. Around 1,500 ships with nearly 20,000 seafarers remain stranded in the area.
All vessels in the area have been given official advice by UKMTO to proceed with caution and report any suspicious activity immediately.