Three Projectiles Hit Tanker East of Khasab, Oman

STRAIT OF HORMUZ — The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center, the Royal Navy-sponsored office that records incidents for commercial shipping, said on August 31 that a tanker reported being struck by three unknown projectiles 17 nautical miles, about 20 miles (31 kilometers), east of Khasab, Oman, while finishing an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Oman and Iran that connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.

UKMTO logged the incident as an attack, but the report did not name the tanker, its flag, its owner, or the type of projectile.

UKMTO reported no casualties and no environmental impact, and stated that authorities are investigating and told other ships to transit with caution and to report suspicious activity to the center.

Earlier the same calendar day, U.S. Central Command said an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claim that a supertanker on the southern route had struck two mines, caught fire, and stopped was false, and that no ships had hit mines in the strait.

UKMTO’s evening warning describes three unknown projectiles and reports no casualties and no environmental impact. No official body has stated that those two accounts describe the same ship.

UKMTO Warning Places Projectile Hits Off Khasab on the Southern Corridor

Khasab sits at 26.1799, 56.2477 on Oman’s Musandam Peninsula. A position 17 nautical miles due east of that town projects to roughly 26.18, 56.56 (approximate, derived from the stated distance and an east bearing; UKMTO released no coordinates).

The August 31 warning is a Company Security report, not a military-authority report. It states that the tanker was finishing an outbound transit, meaning it was leaving the Persian Gulf toward the Gulf of Oman. It is silent on whether the ship kept way, lost propulsion, or needed assistance.

Locations Affected

• Reported strike, 17 nautical miles east of Khasab, Oman, 26.18, 56.56 (approximate, derived from UKMTO’s stated distance and an east bearing; exact coordinates not released): tanker reported struck by three unknown projectiles on an outbound Strait of Hormuz transit. UKMTO said no casualties and no environmental impact.

• Khasab, Musandam Peninsula, Oman, 26.1799, 56.2477: coastal reference point named in Warnings 124-26 and 122-26, at the Omani-side approaches to the strait.

• Reported strike, 12 nautical miles north of Khasab, Oman, 26.38, 56.25 (approximate, derived from UKMTO’s stated distance and a north bearing; exact coordinates not released): separate inbound tanker strike on August 29, recorded the next day in Warning 122-26. UKMTO said no casualties and no environmental impact.

Official Statements

• United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, Warning 124-26, August 31: “UKMTO has received a report of an incident 17NM east of Khasab, Oman. A tanker has reported being struck by 3 unknown projectiles whilst completing outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz. No casualties or environmental impact has been reported. Authorities are investigating. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.”

• U.S. Central Command, August 31: “CLAIM: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claims that a supertanker passing through the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz struck two mines and was brought to a complete stop. This is FALSE. FACT: No ships have hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz. This is yet another IRGC attempt to intimidate regional commercial shipping through disinformation.”

• United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, Warning 122-26, August 30: “UKMTO has received a time-late report of an incident 12NM north of Khasab, Oman. A tanker has been struck by an unknown projectile whilst transiting inbound in the Strait of Hormuz. No casualties or environmental impact are reported at this time. Authorities are investigating. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.”