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A container ship was struck by a projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz north of Oman, maritime security agencies said.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), an agency linked to the U.K. military that monitors commercial shipping, said the vessel was sailing eastbound when it was hit by an unknown projectile just above the water line.
The strike caused a fire in the ship’s engine room, UKMTO said, adding that no environmental impact had been reported.
Maritime security agency Vanguard Tech identified the vessel as the Malta-flagged container ship Safeen Prestige.
Shipping tracker Marine Traffic showed the vessel was traveling from the United Arab Emirates’ Ghantoot port to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.
UKMTO said the ship was about two nautical miles north of Oman when the incident occurred.
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The strike marked the fourth reported attack on vessels in regional waters within 24 hours, after projectiles struck or landed near three other ships off the Emirati and Omani coasts.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Wednesday they had “complete control” over the Strait of Hormuz and warned that vessels seeking to pass through the waterway risk damage from missiles or stray drones.
Around 20% of global seaborne oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
The incident comes as U.S. President Donald Trump proposed escorting merchant ships and oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had ordered the U.S. Development Finance Corporation to provide political risk insurance and financial guarantees for maritime trade, particularly energy shipments traveling through the Gulf.
“If necessary, the United States Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible,” Trump said.
Shipping analysts expressed skepticism about the plan.
Amena Bakr, head of Middle East energy research at data and analytics firm Kpler, wrote that experts do not believe the escort plan would work because vessels would remain exposed to Iranian missiles and the cost would be high.
The Denmark-based shipping association BIMCO said protecting all tankers in the threatened area would require a very large number of warships and other military assets.
Other analysts said organizing an escort operation could take at least a week and would likely require major U.S. strikes on Iran’s anti-ship capabilities such as sea drones, mini-submarines and naval mines.
The U.S. Navy previously escorted U.S.-registered tankers through the Strait of Hormuz during the 1987–1988 period of the Iran-Iraq war.
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