Tanker hit by explosive devices in Strait of Hormuz as crew escapes unharmed, UK maritime agency says
A tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz was attacked when a small boat attached two explosive devices to its hull, sparking an engine-room fire that briefly disabled the vessel, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said, adding that all crew are safe.
A tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz was attacked on Thursday when a small boat attached two explosive devices to its hull, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said, in the latest strike on commercial shipping through one of the world's most important energy waterways.
According to UKMTO, the incident took place at around 2212 UTC on Thursday, about 25 nautical miles northeast of Khasab in Oman, while the tanker was travelling outbound through the strait. A small boat approached the vessel on its port side and fixed two explosive devices to the hull above the waterline.
The devices then detonated, and the blasts set off a fire in the tanker's engine room. The fire temporarily disabled the vessel, leaving it unable to proceed under its own power until the blaze was dealt with and the damage assessed.
UKMTO first learned of the incident through a third-party report that a tanker was on fire in the strait. At that stage, the cause of the fire, the condition of the crew, the extent of the damage and any environmental impact were all unknown, and the agency issued an initial warning to shipping in the area.
In a verified update issued on Friday, UKMTO confirmed the better news: all crew members were safe, there was no environmental impact, and the fire had been extinguished. The vessel was continuing to its next port of call, the agency said, bringing the immediate emergency to an end.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack. No group had claimed responsibility in the agency's advisories, and UKMTO said authorities were investigating while urging vessels to transit with caution and to report any suspicious activity.
The attack comes against a background of repeated strikes on shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict between the United States and Iran broke out in February. Commercial vessels have faced mines, missiles and small-boat attacks, and insurers and shipping companies have been forced to weigh the risks of every transit.
The same week brought further evidence of how dangerous the waterway has become. Iran's armed forces said four tankers caught fire after striking mines while trying to navigate the strait, a day after the US military said it had cleared key routes through the waterway. The claims about the mine strikes could not be independently confirmed, but they added to the sense of a shipping lane under sustained pressure.
The Strait of Hormuz matters far beyond the Gulf because around a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas used to pass through it before the conflict began. Even a single incident there can move oil prices, raise insurance costs and force shipping companies to reroute or delay cargoes, with effects felt in fuel prices far from the region.
The incident also lands in the middle of a fragile diplomatic moment. The United States and Iran have been in contact through intermediaries about a possible framework for talks, while Saudi Arabia has urged Washington to give diplomacy more time before any new strikes. Each attack on shipping makes that diplomacy harder, by raising tensions and hardening positions on all sides.
For now, shipping through the strait continues, but under heightened caution. Maritime agencies are watching for further incidents, crews are on alert for small boats approaching their vessels, and the question facing governments and shipping firms alike is whether the latest attack is an isolated incident or the start of a new wave of strikes on Gulf shipping.
