Tanker Hit by Projectile in Gulf of Oman Near Strait of Hormuz

JAKARTA - A tanker was attacked off the coast of Oman, near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, according to a report received by the British maritime monitoring agency.

The ship was hit by an "unidentified projectile" that caused damage to its engine room, according to a report from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a body supported by the Royal Navy.

The unnamed tanker was hit in a location about 12 miles (20 kilometers) northeast of Lima, Oman - on the southern side of the Strait of Hormuz - said UKMTO.

They added that the ship lost control, but there were no reports of casualties.

UKMTO did not mention which party was responsible for the attack.

The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohammad Bagher Zolqadr, said on Friday, July 31, that Tehran would tighten the closure of the strait that they had announced, in response to the United States blockade of shipping traffic to or from Iranian ports.

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been drastically reduced compared to pre-war levels - which reached around 130 vessels per day - to just a handful of vessels today.