UKMTO: Tanker Hit by Unknown Projectile in Strait of Hormuz
The incident occurred at around 20:53 UTC on Saturday, when the vessel was sailing inbound through the Strait, approximately 12 nautical miles north of Khasab, Oman.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – A commercial tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the strategic Strait of Hormuz near Oman, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Sunday.
The incident occurred at around 20:53 UTC on Saturday, when the vessel was sailing inbound through the Strait, approximately 12 nautical miles north of Khasab, Oman.
According to the UKMTO advisory, the projectile caused a localized fire aboard the tanker. No crew members were injured, and all personnel were reported safe and accounted for. No environmental impact has been reported.
Authorities are investigating the origin of the projectile and the circumstances surrounding the incident. UKMTO advised vessels operating in the Strait of Hormuz to exercise extreme caution and report any suspicious maritime activity.
The incident comes amid heightened security risks in the Strait, a critical waterway through which a significant share of global oil and gas supplies passes.
In a warning issued on August 28, UKMTO said commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz had fallen by about 90 percent from pre-conflict levels amid ongoing hostilities between the United States and Iran. The Joint Maritime Information Center has assessed the security situation in the waterway as severe.
The latest incident further underscores the risks facing commercial shipping in the region as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to disrupt maritime traffic through one of the world's most important energy corridors.