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Tanker hit in Hormuz
An unidentified projectile struck an oil tanker as it transited the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, with Shafaq News citing UKMTO and placing the incident about 12 nautical miles north of Khasab, Oman.
“No party has claimed responsibility for the incident so far.”
Shafaq News said UKMTO reported no casualties or environmental impact, while Kurdistan24 said the projectile caused a localized fire aboard the tanker and that no crew members were injured.
Kurdistan24 added that the incident occurred at around 20:53 UTC on Saturday while the vessel was sailing inbound, and that UKMTO advised vessels to exercise extreme caution and report any suspicious maritime activity.
The Maritime Executive framed the episode as part of a broader pattern, noting that UKMTO issued a delayed report on Sunday, August 30, about a strike that happened late on August 29, with the tanker 12 nautical miles off Khasab, Oman.
U.S. strikes on Larak
Türkiye Today reported that American forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday after observing Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) troops preparing to fire rockets carrying sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz.
Türkiye Today said the strikes came hours after a tanker was hit by an unidentified projectile in the same waterway, and it quoted a U.S. official to say, "Earlier today U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island."
The Maritime Executive described the same shipping corridor as a focal point of tension between Washington and Tehran, and it said Iran appeared to have turned its attention to inbound tankers heading toward the Persian Gulf.
In that context, Türkiye Today quoted UKMTO’s warning notice: "A tanker has been struck by an unknown projectile whilst transiting inbound in the Strait of Hormuz," and said no casualties or environmental damage were reported by UKMTO.
Shipping risk escalates
The Maritime Executive said UKMTO’s earlier reporting included a Kuwaiti product tanker, Al Salam II (69,790 dwt), struck in the Strait of Hormuz on August 25, with a small hole and a small fire extinguished by the crew.
“raised the threat level to transit the strait to “severe” from “substantial””
EnergyNow (Reuters) reported that a Qatari LNG tanker, Al Rekayyat, was still stuck off Oman on Wednesday awaiting salvage operations after it was hit on Tuesday, and it said the U.S. Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center raised the threat level to transit the strait to "severe" from "substantial" following attacks on the Al Rekayyat and two other tankers.
EnergyNow also quoted the IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez saying, "No seafarer should have to risk their life simply for doing their job," while noting that sailings through Hormuz should be avoided "as long as the safety and security of crews cannot be assured".
Mehr News Agency said UKMTO received a delayed report of the tanker being struck while transiting inbound, and it reiterated that the attack did not cause any "casualties or environmental impact," as authorities investigated the incident.