The UK Maritime Trade Operations reported that a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, causing a fire. Details on damage or casualties have not been released.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported early Friday that a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, causing a fire. The crew was reported safe, according to earlier reports. The report follows a previous UKMTO alert earlier in the night that reported a missile strike in the same area without mentioning a fire, as The Zioneer noted at 00:07. The incident marked the fifth commercial tanker attacked in the Strait of Hormuz in 96 hours, The Zioneer reported at 01:07.
The wave of attacks began on Tuesday, when three Liberian-flagged tankers—Al-Ruways, Mersin Prosperity, and Sinbad—were struck by unidentified projectiles, according to shipping intelligence firm Marisks. The Zioneer reported that account at 09:59 Thursday. The IRGC later claimed responsibility, stating it had been targeting small tankers conducting ship-to-ship transfers that bypass Iran's blockade. In a statement Wednesday, the IRGC said: "Over the recent period we are attacking many small vessels seeking to pass through Hormuz. Washington is not responding." On Thursday evening, another tanker was struck by a missile, as UKMTO reported without mentioning a fire. The fifth vessel, a supertanker carrying 2.5 million barrels of oil, caught fire off the coast of Oman early Friday, as The Zioneer reported.
The latest attack is part of a broader IRGC campaign to enforce a maritime blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global energy supplies. The extent of the damage to the fifth tanker and the origin of the projectile remain unconfirmed. Authorities are investigating.
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