A tanker was struck in the Strait of Hormuz by an “unknown projectile” while transiting outbound through the waterway, the British military said Friday.
The attack caused a “small fire and blackout onboard” but there were no reported casualties, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) said.
The fire was extinguished and the tanker continued its transit.
UKMTO did not identify the tanker and there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Four tankers have recently been hit by projectiles in the critical waterway, bringing the total to five with Friday’s incident, UKMTO said.
Overall ship traffic remains below prewar levels in the Strait of Hormuz, as do shipments of energy products, even though Iran has lost its near-complete chokehold over the crucial waterway thanks to the US Navy’s efforts to shepherd oil tankers through the strait.
That, along with various pipelines, has allowed Gulf countries to restore oil exports to nearly prewar levels.
