World Affairs
UKMTO reports crude tanker struck east of Oman
The UK maritime agency said the crude-oil tanker was hit on its port side and authorities were investigating. The vessel was not identified, and no actor has been blamed.
Executive summary
- The report: UK Maritime Trade Operations said a crude-oil tanker’s master reported an unknown projectile striking the port side about four nautical miles east of Oman. The agency’s Warning 149-26 is dated Oct. 2 and says all crew were reported safe, no environmental impact had been reported at the time, and authorities were investigating.UK Maritime Trade Operations — Warning 149-26Reuters — Crude oil tanker struck by unknown projectile off Oman
- A second reported strike that day: Earlier on Oct. 2, UKMTO reported a separate tanker incident during an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz. That vessel reported a small fire and loss of power; the fire was extinguished and the tanker continued underway, according to gCaptain’s account of Warning 148-26. The available notices do not identify the vessels or establish who was responsible.gCaptain — Six vessels hit in Strait of Hormuz since Sunday
- What remains unknown: Warning 149-26 does not name the tanker, flag, cargo quantity or projectile, and provides no damage assessment beyond the reported impact. UKMTO has not attributed the strike to a government or armed group.UK Maritime Trade Operations — Warning 149-26Reuters — Crude oil tanker struck by unknown projectile off Oman
In Warning 149-26, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said it received a report of an incident four nautical miles east of Oman. The source was the master of a crude-oil tanker, who reported that an unknown projectile struck the vessel on its port side. The warning gives a report time of 21:42 UTC on Oct. 2, not an exact time for the impact.UK Maritime Trade Operations — Warning 149-26
UKMTO said all crew were reported safe and no environmental impact had been reported at the time of the notice. It said authorities were investigating and advised vessels to transit with caution. Reuters separately reported the agency’s account; neither source identifies the vessel or names a suspected attacker.UK Maritime Trade Operations — Warning 149-26Reuters — Crude oil tanker struck by unknown projectile off Oman
The Oman report was separate from UKMTO Warning 148-26, issued earlier that day for a tanker outbound through the Strait of Hormuz. In that incident, the master reported an unknown projectile, a small onboard fire and a power loss. The fire was extinguished and the tanker remained under way, according to gCaptain’s report citing UKMTO. The two warnings describe different incidents and do not establish that the same vessel, weapon or actor was involved.gCaptain — Six vessels hit in Strait of Hormuz since Sunday
gCaptain reported at least six vessels struck since Sept. 28 based on earlier incident notices, before Warning 149-26 was issued. That was a count of reported vessel strikes available to the outlet at that point, not a verified tally of all incidents or a count that includes this later warning.gCaptain — Six vessels hit in Strait of Hormuz since SundayUK Maritime Trade Operations — Warning 149-26
Warning 149-26 gives a relative position—four nautical miles east of Oman—but no coordinates, ship name, flag or damage assessment. The projectile’s origin is unknown in the public notice. No source reviewed for this report establishes who launched it or why the vessel was struck.UK Maritime Trade Operations — Warning 149-26Reuters — Crude oil tanker struck by unknown projectile off Oman
The notice is a report from a vessel master relayed by UKMTO, not a published forensic assessment. The crew and environmental details are therefore stated as the agency reported them at the time; later inspection results or changes in the vessel’s condition were not available in the cited sources.UK Maritime Trade Operations — Warning 149-26Reuters — Crude oil tanker struck by unknown projectile off Oman