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UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed on Tuesday that a second Greek-owned oil tanker was struck by a projectile near the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed two tankers "exploded" while taking what Tehran called an unsafe southern route through the waterway.
Greek shipping company Dynacom Tankers said two of its managed vessels, the Malta-flagged Kavomaleas, which caught fire and was evacuated, and the Liberian-flagged Acheloos, were hit by projectiles of unknown origin while sailing off Oman, as the re-escalating U.S.-Iran war again threatens commercial shipping through the strait.
The UKMTO warning was classified as an attack and issued July 20 based on a July 19 report at 2230 UTC, which said a vessel was struck 17 nautical miles east of Dibba, United Arab Emirates.
"The master of a vessel reports being struck by an unknown projectile causing damage to the steering gear. All the crew is reported as safe. There is no environmental impact," the warning said, adding that authorities are investigating and advising vessels to "transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO."
Dynacom said the Kavomaleas, a Panamax-sized tanker, was struck by two projectiles, causing a fire in its engine room.
"After deploying the shipboard fire suppression system, the master made the decision to evacuate the vessel," the company said in a statement.
All crew members were safely located by Omani authorities and transferred to shore, Dynacom said, adding it was in close contact with all relevant regional authorities.
The Kavomaleas had been set to load oil products in the Gulf this week, according to shipbroking fixtures and one trade source cited by Reuters. UKMTO, which earlier reported the vessel on fire, said no environmental impact was reported.
In a separate statement, Dynacom said the Acheloos, a Very Large Crude Carrier capable of carrying 2 million barrels of oil, was also struck by a projectile.
"All crew members are safe and all accounted for. The vessel has proceeded to anchorage while assessments take place. There are no reports of pollution at this time," the company said.
British maritime risk management group Vanguard said the Kavomaleas incident occurred as the vessel transited about 8 nautical miles northwest of Oman's Kumzar.
Greek maritime security company Marisks said the Acheloos and Kavomaleas were struck at approximately the same time and were both transiting via the U.S.-facilitated southern Hormuz corridor.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced on Monday that two oil tankers "exploded" and were immobilized after attempting to take what it called an unsafe southern route through the Strait of Hormuz. A
The attacks come as Iranian forces target vessels and the U.S. moves to enforce its blockade of Iranian ports, driving further spikes in oil and gas prices.
Regional tensions have escalated since the U.S. and Israel launched a joint offensive against Iran in February, prompting Iranian retaliation with drone and missile strikes on Gulf nations hosting U.S. assets.
Washington and Tehran signed a Pakistani-mediated Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) last month to end their conflict and reach a lasting peace agreement, but tensions flared again last week over the Strait of Hormuz, with the two sides exchanging attacks. Iran has warned the strait is a "red line" and said it will "resist until the end."
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