April 1 (Reuters) - An oil tanker leased by QatarEnergy was struck by an Iranian cruise missile on Wednesday while in Qatari waters, according to the defense ministry.

Three cruise missiles were launched from Iran targeting Qatar. Two of them were intercepted, but the third hit the Aqua 1 fuel oil tanker, fortunately causing no injuries.

The tanker was located 17 nautical miles (31 km) north of Qatar’s Ras Laffan industrial area, which houses the largest gas plant in the world. The tanker suffered damage above the waterline, but there was no reported environmental impact, as confirmed by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and QatarEnergy.

As tensions rise due to the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, the threats to maritime traffic are increasing.

Iran has launched a series of attacks on Gulf oil and gas facilities in retaliation for Israeli strikes on its own gas infrastructure. The ongoing conflict has disrupted 17% of Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity, putting supplies to Europe and Asia at risk.