The Thai-flagged cargo ship Mayuree Naree engulfed in black smoke in the Strait of Hormuz on March 11, 2026.
Reuters
Three ships off the coast of Iran have been hit by projectiles, the UK’s Maritime Trade Operations Center said on Wednesday, the latest in a series of incidents reported in or near the Strait of Hormuz.
One of the ships reported it had been hit 11 nautical miles north of Oman, in the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire on board and forcing the crew to evacuate, the UKMTO said., without identifying the vessels.
Two other incidents were also reported on Wednesday morning: one ship was hit by a projectile about 50 nautical miles northwest of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and another was damaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
The UKMTO urged vessels in the area to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity while authorities continue to investigate.
Thailand’s navy said a Thai-flagged container ship with 23 people on board had been attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to Reuters. Photos showed black smoke billowing from the Mayuree Naree ship.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard later said they had fired on the ship in the canal, Reuters reported, citing the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Infographic with a map of the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz showing attacks on commercial ships between February 28 and March 11 at 12:00 GMT
AFP | fake images
Maritime traffic through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz has been almost paralyzed since the United States and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran on February 28. Iran has retaliated by attacking ships attempting to pass through the Strait, and several incidents have been reported in recent days.
The waterway is a narrow maritime corridor connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Approximately 20% of the world’s oil and gas usually pass through it.
U.S. forces sank several Iranian ships, including 16 minelayers, near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, according to U.S. Central Command.
The update followed an earlier announcement by US President Donald Trump that if Iran had placed mines in the waterway, “we want them removed IMMEDIATELY!”
The UKMTO said it had received 17 reports of incidents affecting ships operating in and around the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman between February 28, when the war began, and March 11. These include 13 attack reports and four suspicious activity reports.
“Iran’s rapid and extensive retaliation against shipping and regional energy, port and economic infrastructure has severed a vital artery in global supply chains, as the flow of oil, refined products, LNG and chemicals comes to a near halt,” Torbjorn Soltvedt, senior Middle East analyst at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft, said in a note Wednesday.
“Additional attacks on ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz overnight underscore that Iran still poses a very real threat to shipping,” he added.
