Several merchant vessels hit by disabling fire in Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman: UKMTO

Incident comes amid escalating US-Iran maritime attacks, with Tehran saying it targeted 8 oil tankers after US strikes on Iranian vessels

Several merchant vessels in the northern Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman were hit by disabling fire amid ongoing military activity in the region, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Wednesday. In an advisory, UKMTO said it received the report at 2215GMT Tuesday involving several merchant vessels in the two areas. “Reports indicate the vessels were subject to disabling fire as part of ongoing military activity in the region,” it said. UKMTO did not specify when the incident occurred or identify the vessels involved. It said it was unable to confirm whether there were any casualties or environmental impact. Authorities are aware of the incident and relevant investigations remain ongoing, it added. UKMTO advised mariners to monitor the latest maritime security information. The advisory comes amid an escalating exchange of attacks on vessels between Iran and the US in and around the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Wednesday that its naval forces had targeted two US vessels and eight oil tankers in the Gulf in response to US attacks on five Iranian oil tankers. The IRGC did not identify the vessels it said were targeted. It was not immediately clear whether any of the merchant vessels mentioned in the UKMTO advisory were among those Iran said it had targeted. US Central Command (CENTCOM), meanwhile, said US forces had destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after the IRGC targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the previous two days. It said the warship evaded the attacks and no US personnel were harmed. The developments are the latest in a series of attacks involving commercial and military vessels amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict and heightened tensions in and around the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway for global energy shipments.