Oil tanker catches fire after projectile strike near Strait of Hormuz

An oil tanker traveling through the Strait of Hormuz caught fire on Monday after being struck by an unknown projectile off the coast of Oman, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said, escalating concerns over safe passage through the world's most important oil chokepoint.wwltv+2

The Incident

The UKMTO reported that the projectile hit the port side of the vessel while it was traveling southbound, approximately 8 nautical miles east of Limah, Oman, toward the Gulf of Oman. The crew was reported safe with no casualties, and the agency said there was no environmental impact from the strike. Authorities are investigating the source of the projectile, and no group has claimed responsibility.nampa+2

The attack came just one day after a separate incident in which a cargo vessel reported being attacked by unknown armed assailants 30 nautical miles southwest of Hodeida, Yemen, in the Red Sea. That ship and its crew were also reported safe.dw+2

Mounting Tensions in the Strait

The strike follows Iran's warning on July 2 that all oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz must use routes approved by Tehran or face "an immediate and forceful response from the armed forces". The statement from Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya military command, aired on state television, said interference by U.S. forces in the strait would also be "met with a rapid and decisive reaction".spectrumlocalnews+1

Shipping through the waterway has been under strain for months. Bloomberg reported on July 5 that oil and gas tankers had been navigating a corridor close to Oman's coast, with vessel traffic showing signs of disruption after unexplained U-turns and detours in recent days. Western navies have said the threat risk remains "substantial" and that the center of the strait has been mined.bloomberg

A Pattern of Attacks

Monday's incident is one of several strikes on commercial vessels in the region since a U.S.-Iran ceasefire was declared earlier this year. In May, a cargo ship caught fire after being hit by an unknown projectile off Qatar's coast, which the Trump administration acknowledged but insisted the ceasefire remained operational. In late June, the UN paused evacuation of ships through the strait after another vessel was hit off Oman.npr+1

Roughly 20 percent of the world's oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz daily. Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea from 2023 through 2025 and recently vowed to resume strikes, compounding the risks facing global energy supply chains.cnbc+1