Shafaq News- Doha

A commercial cargo vessel was struck on Sunday by an unidentified projectile northeast of Doha, causing a small onboard fire that was later contained without injuries or environmental damage, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.

The UKMTO said the vessel was hit about 23 nautical miles off the Qatari coast.

While no group immediately claimed responsibility for the incident, Gulf shipping routes have faced repeated attacks since the United States and Israel launched the war against Iran on February 28. Earlier this month, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Iranian forces used drones, missiles, and small boats against commercial and military vessels near the Strait of Hormuz during renewed maritime confrontations, allegations Tehran partially denied.

The incident also came after the Wall Street Journal reported that officials inside President Donald Trump’s administration were discussing the possibility of resuming direct US naval escorts for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz following the attacks. The Trump administration had launched “Project Freedom,” an operation aimed at guiding commercial vessels through Hormuz after hundreds of ships became stranded during the crisis, though the mission was later paused amid indirect talks with Tehran.

On Saturday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that any attack on Iranian tankers or commercial vessels would trigger a “heavy assault” on US regional assets and ships.

Shipping traffic through Hormuz has remained volatile since the conflict began. The Strait handles roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption and about 20% of the world’s liquefied natural gas trade, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Qatar, located directly along the route, is among the world’s largest LNG exporters.