UKMTO Reports Burning Tanker Off Musandam Peninsula
[Breaking] In a sign that Iranian attacks remain a serious risk in the Strait of Hormuz, UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has reported an apparent attack on a tanker just off the Musandam Peninsula.
At about 0300 hours UTC, the office received a report from a passing vessel of an incident at a position near the midpoint of the strait. The master of the passing ship told UKMTO that a tanker was on fire about nine nautical miles to the north of Khasab, a remote port town at the north end of the peninsula.
The status of the crew is unknown, UKMTO said.
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UK maritime security consultancy Vanguard Tech added separately that the vessel had been hit by a projectile and was "mostly submerged." Vanguard's source reported a third vessel nearby and potentially rendering assistance.
Noam Raydan, a researcher at the Washington Institute, has counted a total of 30 Iranian attacks on shipping since the start of October - the fastest pace of strikes since the start of the conflict in February. Most were concentrated in and around the Strait of Hormuz, but a growing number have occurred further afield, as far northwest as Iraq and as far southeast as Oman.
