An unknown object has struck an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz near Khasab, Oman, early this morning. A fire on the tanker has been brought under control by its crew, and all on board are reported safe and well with no pollution released into the environment.
Incidents of commercial shipping being attacked in the Hormuz corridor have been a feature of August 2026. The UKMTO issued a Warning (120-26) around August 24 for an Aframax tanker that was struck by a projectile some 9nm northeast of Ash Shishah in Oman. Although seriously damaged the ship managed to make its way under its own power to Fujairah some 24 hours or so later. A separate incident in the corridor saw a bulk carrier suffer the fatality of its chief engineer in the Hormuz.
No party has been reported to have claimed responsibility for Thursday's attack and all commercial shipping is advised to proceed with their journey with extreme caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.
Incidents are concentrating in the Omani-side southern transit corridor which was identified by the US Navy as the primary commercial shipping route during the wider Hormuz crisis of 2026. Hull and war-risk exposure for owners and insurers of commercial shipping continues to feature prominently in assessments of the situation and of potential developments in the Strait.
In a previous publication, Iran issued a 'blacklist' of 45 ships that reportedly transited Hormuz contra to established maritime regulations for the waterway. Two Very Large Crude Carriers listed on the document quickly switched off their AIS in response to the publication. Today, open-source maritime tracking systems report an increasing number of ships, temporarily or permanently, disabling their AIS prior to passage in an attempt to avoid targeting.
The UKMTO Warning remains in effect and ship operators and industry organizations should monitor UKMTO and JMIC for further information and updates as this incident develops.
