At Least Three Ships Struck By Projectiles Near Strait Of Hormuz, U.K. Says

By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff

Key Facts

In a Wednesday morning update, the UKMTO said a cargo ship moving through the Strait of Hormuz, approximately 11 nautical miles north of Oman, was “hit by an unknown projectile.”

The attack triggered a fire on board the ship, forcing some crew members to evacuate.

In a follow up the agency said the fire was quickly extinguished and there was “no environmental impact at this time.”

Citing Thailand’s Marine Department, the Associated Press reported that this was a Thai cargo ship and officials are still searching for three missing crew members

The agency reported two other attacks on ships in the Strait, one of which was a bulk carrier “hit by an unknown projectile” 50 nautical miles northwest of the Dubai coast.

The other purported attack took place near Ra’s al Khaymah in the UAE where a vessel moving through the strait reported sustaining damage from “a suspected but unknown projectile.”

The agency warned all vessels in the area to “transit with caution and report any suspicious activity.”

Detail about the nature of the projectiles and who carried out the attacks remains unclear.

How Have The Attacks Impacted Oil Prices?

Global benchmark Brent Crude Intermediate has risen more than 4% to $91.50 per barrel so far Wednesday. The spike, however, is well short of a brief surge seen early on Monday when the index nearly touched $120 per barrel. The U.S. WTI Crude benchmark also remained volatile as it hit $87.90 per barrel early on Wednesday, up 5.34% since midnight.

Key Background

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been disrupted since the start of the U.S.-Israel military strikes against Iran last month. Iran’s threats to target vessels moving through the lane prompted President Donald Trump to issue a warning that if “anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far.” The president followed this up with a post on Tuesday, demanding that Iran must “IMMEDIATELY” remove any mines from the strategically key shipping lane, after preliminary reports suggested that Iran had begun doing so. Later on Tuesday, U.S. Military’s Central Command wrote on X: “U.S. forces eliminated multiple Iranian naval vessels, March 10, including 16 minelayers near the Strait of Hormuz.”

Further Reading

U.S. Military Says It Destroyed 16 Iranian Mine Laying Ships In The Strait Of Hormuz (Forbes)