Dubai: A crude oil tanker has been hit by “unknown projectiles” off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, a British maritime agency reported on Monday, as the United States said it would begin escorting ships through the blocked Strait of Hormuz, AFP reported.
“A tanker has reported being hit by unknown projectiles,” the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said, adding that all crew members were safe.
The incident occurred about 78 nautical miles north of the UAE city of Fujairah, the agency added, in waters close to the southeastern approach to the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
The UK led maritime watchdog urged vessels to transit the region “with caution” while national and regional authorities investigate the nature and origin of the projectiles.
The attack has added to already heightened security concerns in the Gulf shipping lanes, where commercial traffic has be
en under pressure from the wider Middle East conflict and the ongoing standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.
The report came as the United States and Iran remain locked in tense, inconclusive negotiations, even after a ceasefire in the Middle East war came into effect on April 8. Iran has maintained a stranglehold on the strategic Strait of Hormuz, while the United States has in turn imposed a naval blockade aimed at countering what it describes as Iranian efforts to disrupt free navigation.
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Washington would begin escorting merchant ships through the strait from Monday, under a new US Central Command led operation. Trump framed the move as part of a bid to “help free up” vessels stuck or delayed in the Strait and to restore freedom of navigation in the face of Iranian pressure.
US Central Command said it would deploy guided missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi domain unmanned platforms, and some 15,000 service members in the effort, underscoring the scale of the American military commitment to the protection of commercial shipping. The announcement has raised the risk of further escalation in the region, as Iran has previously warned that any attempt to force open the Strait would be treated as a hostile act against its sovereignty.