The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has reported that an unidentified projectile struck a cargo ship off Oman’s coast. The incident occurred around 1:30 AM Tehran time on August 4, approximately 20 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, near the Strait of Hormuz. The ship’s crew alerted authorities through an emergency maritime channel, indicating their vessel had been targeted. UKMTO has classified this event as an “attack” and urged vessels in the area to navigate cautiously and report any suspicious activities.
Details regarding the ship’s identity, the type of projectile, and the responsible party remain unclear. There has been no information released about potential casualties or damage to the vessel, and an investigation is currently underway. This incident adds to a worrying trend of security breaches in the waters around the Musandam Peninsula. Just days prior, on August 2, another oil tanker crew reported hearing an explosion in the same vicinity, although no damage or injuries were reported.
Additionally, on August 3, another tanker northeast of Oman experienced damage to its engine room from an unknown projectile. On the same day, a separate tanker crew witnessed an object strike the water, followed by an explosion nearby, but their vessel remained unharmed.
Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is facing significant restrictions, according to data from maritime intelligence firm Kpler. On August 4, only six vessels—including three tankers and three bulk carriers—transited the waterway, a decrease from seven the previous day. Of these, five entered the Persian Gulf while one exited, all navigating through Iranian territorial waters. However, vessels operating with their Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) turned off may not be included in these statistics.
