DUBAI: A tanker that hit off Oman suffered engine-room damage and lost control early Saturday. A second vessel later reported a nearby explosion, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said.
The first incident occurred 11 nautical miles northeast of Lima on Oman’s Musandam Peninsula, north of the capital Muscat. UKMTO received the report at 3:30 a.m. Oman time on August 1.
The tanker’s company security officer said an unknown projectile struck the vessel and damaged its engine room. The ship became “not under command,” according to the official UKMTO advisory.
UKMTO reported no casualties or environmental damage. The regional coast guard received notification, while maritime authorities opened an investigation.
The agency later received a second report from a tanker 21 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman. Its master saw a large splash followed by an explosion close to the vessel. The tanker reported no damage, Reuters reported.
Lima and Khasab sit near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. The strategic waterway handles about one-fifth of global oil consumption.
Maritime intelligence company Kpler said daily Hormuz crossings had fallen by about 70%, from roughly 45 to 13, after regional hostilities resumed.
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Kpler data showed that about 90% of vessels used the Iranian route during July 15-22. All eight vessels recorded on the latest tracked day used that route.
UKMTO advised vessels to transit cautiously and report suspicious activity. The agency did not identify who fired the projectile.
