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A tanker was hit by an unknown projectile off the coast of Oman on Friday, causing minor structural damage but leaving the crew unharmed, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported.
The incident took place 19 nautical miles east of Khasab, Oman, according to the maritime security agency. The projectile struck the port side of the tanker, resulting in minor structural damage. All crew members were safe and accounted for, while no environmental impact was reported.
Friday's incident comes days after another tanker was hit by a missile 13 nautical miles southeast of Limah, Oman. The vessel was struck while transiting outbound along the southern route, according to UKMTO.
On July 7, a tanker traveling southbound about 8 nautical miles east of Limah, Oman, was struck on its port side by an unknown projectile, sparking a fire on board. UKMTO reported no casualties or environmental damage.
The incident was followed by another round of attacks on commercial vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz, with the U.S. accusing Iran of targeting ships passing through the key waterway.
A week later, the United Arab Emirates reported that two tankers were struck by Iranian cruise missiles in the Strait of Hormuz, with one sailor killed, further raising concerns about the safety of crews and vessels operating in the waterway.
Iran has maintained that it has authority over shipping through the strait, while the U.S. has demanded that Tehran commit to ending attacks on commercial vessels.
Traffic through the narrow passage between Iran and Oman has been heavily disrupted since U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran set off the conflict on February 28.
The Islamabad Memorandum, signed by both sides in June, called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the normalization of commercial shipping, with Iran tasked with clearing mines and other obstacles to allow safe passage through the waterway.
However, the agreement began to unravel amid disputes over control of the waterway and shipping access, with U.S.-Iran hostilities resuming in early July before escalating into sustained U.S. strikes and Iranian retaliatory attacks across the region.
Confirmed crossings through the monitored Strait of Hormuz zone fell on July 15, with just 13 transits recorded during the day. Traffic continued to lean heavily toward lower-risk vessels, although five sanctioned ships made the passage, including four sailing under the Iranian flag.
Most of the movements involved commercial vessels traveling east or west, with five laden voyages carrying fertilizer, coal, dirty petroleum products (DPP), and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
For a third consecutive day, traffic was overwhelmingly concentrated along the Iranian route, which accounted for 10 of the 13 confirmed crossings.
According to Marine Traffic, operators remain highly cautious regarding strait crossing, with crew safety, insurance exposure and the need to stay within Iranian-approved passage increasingly shaping routing decisions.
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