UKMTO reports ship on fire near Strait of Hormuz, north of Oman's Khasab

DUBAI — The British maritime agency UKMTO said on Thursday it had received a report of a ship on fire in the Strait of Hormuz, about nine nautical miles north of Oman's Khasab. It gave no cause and no casualty figures.

According to Arab News, the agency said the report came from the master of another vessel. The burning ship was spotted nine nautical miles, or 17 kilometres, north of Khasab. The Omani town lies just off the strait. UKMTO did not say what caused the fire or whether anyone was hurt. Arab News reported that the crew's status is unknown and that the incident is under investigation.

Al Jazeera Arabic reported the same location in a post on its Telegram channel at 06:34 GMT. The post cited the UK maritime trade body and described "a report of an incident" in Hormuz, nine nautical miles north of Khasab. The post is a social media message and Zenga News has not independently verified it. Its details match the Arab News account.

Iranian claim on mines

Separately, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said three tankers exploded and caught fire after hitting sea mines, according to a statement that state media shared on Thursday. The Guards said this happened over the previous 24 hours while the vessels tried to cross an unauthorised route south of the strait.

The statement said the tankers had switched off their radar and navigation systems and ignored warnings from the Guards' navy. The Guards' navy said the vessels had been abandoned on the southern shores of the strait.

What is not confirmed

UKMTO did not link its report to the Revolutionary Guards' statement. It is not clear whether the ship on fire north of Khasab is one of the three tankers the Guards described. No source provided the names, flags or owners of any vessel, and no source reported casualties. The Guards' account of mines, switched-off systems and ignored warnings comes only from the Guards' own statement, as relayed by state media. Zenga News has not independently confirmed it.

Background

The Strait of Hormuz is a key transit point for global oil and natural gas supplies. Arab News reported that Iran has sought to control the waterway since the Middle East war began in February. It said Iran has attacked ships it accuses of passing through the strait without authorisation.

The United States has responded with a counterblockade of Iranian ports, according to the same report.

UKMTO is a British maritime agency. It receives and publishes reports of incidents involving merchant shipping in the region, often based on information from vessel masters.

Further information from UKMTO, Omani authorities or shipping companies had not been published at the time of the reports.