Vessel reported on fire in Strait of Hormuz: UK maritime agency - Anadolu Ajansı

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center said late Thursday that a vessel was on fire in the Strait of Hormuz.

"UKMTO has received a report of an incident 25NM Northeast of Khasab, Oman in the Strait of Hormuz. A third party has reported that a vessel transiting outbound is on fire, the cause is unknown at time of report," the agency said in a statement.

It later reaffirmed having received a verified report confirming that the crew were safe and there was no environmental impact.

"The report indicates that the tanker was approached on the port side by a small boat which attached two explosive devices to the hull above the waterline. The subsequent blasts resulted in a fire in the engine room which temporarily disabled the vessel," it noted.

UKMTO said the fire had been extinguished and the vessel continued to its next port of call. It further advised vessels to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity as authorities investigated the incident.

The incident comes amid rising tensions between Iran and the US about navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy and commodity supplies.

In February, the US and Israel launched a war against Iran. Tehran responded with attacks on Israel and US targets in the region before a ceasefire agreement was reached in April.

The US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in June concerning freedom of navigation in the strait, but its implementation stalled over disagreements related to security in the strategic waterway as tensions continued to escalate.