Another tanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz, raising the total number of reported attacks on vessels in this important area to at least six since Sunday.
UK Maritime Trade Operations announced on Friday that the captain of a tanker reported that it was struck by an unknown projectile while leaving the strait at 1122 UTC.
The impact caused a small fire and a blackout on board. However, the fire was put out and the tanker was able to continue its journey. Fortunately, no injuries or environmental damage were reported.
Authorities are looking into this incident, which has been labeled as UKMTO Warning 148-26. The UKMTO has not revealed the identity of the tanker or indicated who might be responsible for the attack.
This latest strike adds to a series of recent attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.
On Thursday, UKMTO reported that another tanker was hit by an unknown projectile while passing through the strait, which also caused a fire. The crew was unharmed, but there was no immediate information on the damage or environmental effects.
This followed reports of four vessel strikes on Sunday and Monday that were only made public later.
UKMTO first reported an incident on Sunday evening where a vessel was hit by a suspected projectile, causing a fire that was subsequently extinguished. The ship was still operational, and its crew was safe. UKMTO labeled this incident as “suspicious activity.”
Three more tanker attacks from Monday came to light on Wednesday through separate delayed warnings from UKMTO. In each case, a vessel was reported to have been struck by an unknown projectile, with little information available on the extent of the damage or any casualties.
With the attacks reported on Thursday and Friday, the total number of vessels struck since Sunday, September 28, has reached at least six.