An oil tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, near the Omani coast, rendering the vessel unusable. The incident comes as maritime traffic in this strategic waterway reaches its lowest level in three months.
The British maritime agency UKMTO announced late Monday that an oil tanker sailing off the coast of Oman had been struck by an "unknown projectile." The impact damaged the ship's engine room, rendering it "inoperable." The crew is safe and sound, according to the same source.
The incident occurred 9 nautical miles, or approximately 16,7 kilometers, northeast of the Omani city of Ash Shishah, in the Strait of Hormuz. The nationality of the tanker and its direction of travel were not specified.
The area is under high tension. Only one cargo ship transited the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, the lowest number since May 7, according to preliminary maritime data from Kpler. One very large LNG carrier entered the strait from the Gulf of Oman, compared to six ships of all types on Sunday. These figures remain subject to change, as some ships deactivated their transponders during transit.
On the diplomatic front, Pakistani Chief of Staff Asim Munir held talks with Iranian officials regarding de-escalation measures and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The Pakistani military stated in a press release that discussions addressed regional peace and avenues for a negotiated settlement of disputes.
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