Projectile strike causes tanker fire in Hormuz Strait

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said on Thursday that a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire aboard the vessel and prompting an immediate maritime security alert. The organization received a third-party report of the incident at 1750GMT, according to the agency.

The crew was reported safe, though the extent of damage to the vessel and any potential environmental impact remained unknown, the agency stated. Officials have not yet identified the type of projectile or the vessel's flag state.

Iranian Media Account

Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency, citing local sources, reported earlier that a supertanker with a capacity of 2.5 million barrels had been hit about 8 kilometers off the Omani coast and was engulfed in flames. The vessel had been sailing on an "unauthorized route" through the Strait of Hormuz, Fars said, adding that officials were assessing the full scope of the incident.

The report from the Iranian outlet did not specify the tanker's nationality or destination, nor did it identify which entity may have fired the projectile. Maritime traffic in the strategic waterway — through which one-fifth of global oil shipments pass — has faced heightened risks in recent months.