UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that a cargo ship was hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. The organization said the impact damaged the vessel's bridge while it was located southeast of Dahit, Oman. No injuries or pollution were reported in connection with the strike.
Following the incident, UKMTO advised ships to transit the area with caution. That warning came amid a series of navigational disruptions earlier in the day when at least three commercial vessels - including two oil supertankers - reversed course while attempting an outbound passage of the strait. Those ships had been using a US-protected corridor running along Oman’s coastline.
Two maritime intelligence firms disseminated radio messages that appeared to originate from the Iranian navy, instructing merchant vessels not to cross the waterway. Iranian media outlets conveyed that Tehran was reasserting control over transits through the strait.
Vessel tracking records, reported by Bloomberg, indicated that not all ships in the area turned back; some continued along the Oman-protected route. The data also showed a fourth vessel appearing to reverse course after progressing from the Gulf of Oman toward Hormuz.
The United Nations' International Maritime Organization canceled a scheduled media briefing on Thursday just minutes before it was due to begin. Earlier in the week the IMO had said it received assurances that passage through the strait was safe.
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz had risen after an interim peace agreement between the US and Iran took effect last week. Despite that uptick, Iranian authorities stated over the weekend that the waterway was closed. Tehran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority last week declared that ships cannot transit the strait without obtaining its permission.
The sequence of events - a projectile strike, radio broadcasts purporting to be from a state naval force, ship turnbacks and mixed vessel movement - underscores continued uncertainty for commercial navigation in one of the world’s primary chokepoints for maritime trade. Authorities have so far reported limited physical damage and no casualties or environmental harm, but the operational picture remains fluid.