Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz escalated further on Tuesday after a third commercial vessel was reportedly attacked, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
UKMTO said it had received “a report of a further incident involving a tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” adding that the publicly unidentified vessel was struck by a drone and sustained minor structural damage.
The agency said there were no reports of either casualties or environmental impacts and that the tanker continued its voyage toward its next port of call.
The latest incident followed two earlier attacks reported in or near the strategic waterway on Tuesday.
A Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker, identified as Al-Rekayat, was struck while travelling along a southern shipping corridor close to Oman’s coast. According to a UKMTO report, a projectile hit the vessel, which was attributed to Iran by the US and Gulf media.
As per CBS News, the attack on the Al-Rekayat caused a fire in the ship’s engine room, and there were concerns that it could lead to an explosion, though all crew members were reported to be safe.
Qatar strongly condemned the incident, accusing Iran of carrying out the attack and describing it as a serious threat to international navigation and global energy security.
A second vessel, the Saudi-flagged crude oil supertanker Wedyan was reportedly damaged in or near the Strait of Hormuz, also close to Oman’s coast, by an Iranian fired missile on Tuesday.
The attacks have prompted a sharp response from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which strongly condemned the “brutal Iranian attack” on the Qatari LNG tanker.
GCC Secretary-General Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi called the strike on the LNG tanker off Oman’s coast “a dangerous escalation that threatens the security and stability of the region.”
In his statement, Al-Budaiwi called on the international community to adopt a “firm and deterrent stance against these repeated Iranian attacks in order to safeguard regional and international peace and security and prevent the recurrence of such hostile acts that threaten the stability of the region.”
He added that the GCC stood united with the State of Qatar and expressed its full solidarity with all measures” taken by Doha post the incident.
