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A fire broke out in the engine room of a tanker off Oman’s coast Thursday near the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said, as authorities investigated the cause and regional shipping faced heightened security risks.
The tanker was about 21 nautical miles, or 39 kilometers, northeast of Sohar when the fire was reported, UKMTO said, citing local authorities.
No environmental impact had been reported, the agency added.
UKMTO did not identify the tanker or provide information about possible casualties. Local authorities continued investigating the cause of the blaze.
The Forward Seamen’s Union of India identified the vessel as the MT Jalveer in a post on X.
The Indian Embassy in Oman earlier said it was monitoring an incident involving a vessel off Oman’s Shinas port and coordinating with local authorities to obtain further information.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with the local authorities for further details,” the embassy said on social media.
The embassy did not say whether Indian seafarers were aboard the vessel involved in Thursday’s incident.
The fire was the third maritime incident reported during the week after the U.S. military said it had attacked the MT Marivex and the Settebello, both of which had Indian crew members aboard.
Indian Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said Thursday that three Indian seafarers who had been reported missing from the Settebello were confirmed dead.
“Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after bodies have been located and identified,” Sonowal said.
An Indian government source said New Delhi summoned the U.S. deputy chief of mission Wednesday after lodging a “strong protest” over the strike.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the Strait of Hormuz had been closed to maritime traffic until further notice because of what it described as repeated U.S. violations of the ceasefire.
“Following the American enemy’s repeated violations of the ceasefire conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice,” the Revolutionary Guard said in a statement carried by the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA).
The statement warned ships not to leave anchorage areas in the Persian Gulf or the Gulf of Oman.
“Approaching the Strait of Hormuz will be considered cooperation with the enemy,” it said.
The tanker fire occurred near the blockaded strait, a major maritime route connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman.
Authorities had not announced whether the fire was connected to the regional conflict or the closure of the waterway.
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