The UK Maritime Trade Operations center reported overnight a vessel was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz. The Wall Street Journal identifies it as a Qatari LNG tanker hit on its port side above the engine room, with the crew safe but the engine room burning and smoke-filled. The extent of the damage is not yet assessed.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported overnight that a vessel was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz. The Wall Street Journal, citing audio from the incident, identifies the vessel as an LNG tanker owned and managed by the shipping arm of Qatar's natural gas industry. The tanker was hit on its port side, at the upper section of the engine room. An audio recording cited by the Journal states: 'The engine room is burning and full of smoke. It is not yet possible to assess the extent of the damage. All crew members are safe and gathered on the starboard side of the vessel.'
This update follows a sequence of reports that began at 03:15 Jerusalem, when journalist Amichai Stein (i24NEWS) first reported that a vessel was hit by an unspecified 'object' in the Strait of Hormuz, noting that similar past incidents preceded U.S. strikes on Iran. At 04:16, The Zioneer reported that U.S. officials assessed a tanker was struck by an Iranian ballistic missile projectile, with the fire on deck contained and no casualties. A subsequent thread item at 03:15 Jerusalem (from Ynet) confirmed two ships sustained heavy damage from Iranian missiles. At 03:15 Jerusalem, a later item for the first time identified one of the vessels as a Qatari LNG tanker, citing the Wall Street Journal—a detail that remained single-sourced. The current bulletin adds that the tanker was hit on its port side above the engine room and that the crew is safe with the engine room burning and smoke-filled.
As The Zioneer reported earlier at 04:16, U.S. officials assessed that a tanker was struck by an Iranian ballistic missile projectile in the Strait of Hormuz earlier Tuesday. The attack comes amid a series of maritime incidents in the strategic waterway; background context provided by The Zioneer includes a British tanker attacked in the Strait of Hormuz on Sat Jun 27, 19:08 Jerusalem, reported by an Iranian-linked source, and an oil tanker hit by gunfire off Oman on Sat Jun 13, 14:32 Jerusalem.
What remains open: The vessel's identity as a Qatari LNG tanker remains single-sourced from the Wall Street Journal, with no independent confirmation. The full extent of the damage and the exact source of the attack are not yet independently verified.
12 developments
- StrongIran continues cruise missile launches toward US warships in Strait of Hormuz
- StrongIran's Araghchi declares sole responsibility for Strait of Hormuz management, renews strikes on shipping
- StrongIran fires warning shots at US vessels in Strait of Hormuz
- DevelopingIran claims it attacked enemy forces near Strait of Hormuz
Source and signal
- Internal intake