Two ships were struck by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, maritime security agencies said, as regional tensions escalated following Iran’s continued strikes in response to recent U.S. and Israeli attacks.
One ship, off the coast of Oman, was "struck by an unknown projectile above the waterline. Although the engine room was originally reported as on fire it has now been reported that the fire is under control," the British maritime security agency UKMTO said in a statement.
In a separate incident, another vessel was "struck by an unknown projectile causing a fire. The fire has been extinguished and the vessel intends to continue on its voyage," UKMTO said.
The private maritime security company Vanguard Tech indicated that the second vessel, a tanker, was located approximately 17 nautical miles northwest of Mina Saqr in the United Arab Emirates.
On Sunday, Iranian state television said an oil tanker was "sinking" after being struck while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
"The fate of the offending oil tanker that was struck while attempting to illegally pass through the Strait of Hormuz is that it is now sinking," state TV reported, without elaborating.
Images broadcast by the television station showed thick black smoke billowing from the burning tanker.
The strait is a key transit point for the global oil trade, through which a quarter of the world's oil and a fifth of its liquefied natural gas pass.
On Saturday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards closed the shipping lane, warning that it was dangerous due to U.S. and Israeli attacks.
