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A commercial tanker was hit by an uncrewed aerial vehicle while conducting an outbound transit through the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) stated in a warning notice issued Friday.
Citing reports from military authorities regarding the August 13 incident, the UK agency confirmed that the vessel sustained minor damage. All crew members on board have been reported safe and accounted for, and no environmental spill or impact has been observed following the strike. "UKMTO has received reports from Military Authorities that a tanker was struck by a Uncrewed Ariel Vehicle (UAV) whilst conducting an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel was subject to minor damage, crew are reported as safe and accounted for and no environmental impact has been reported," the UKMTO stated in advisory posted on X. Following the incident, the maritime monitoring body advised all commercial vessels transiting the strategic shipping channel to exercise heightened caution and immediately report any suspicious maritime activity. Earlier, the United Arab Emirates issued strong condemnation of an Iranian attack targeting two commercial vessels affiliated with the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) in the Strait of Hormuz. In an official statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the UAE highlighted that the assault represents a flagrant violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2817, which underscores "the importance of freedom of navigation, and rejected the targeting of commercial vessels or the obstruction of international maritime routes." The ministry noted that no injuries were reported in the incident. Characterising the aggression as maritime intimidation, the Ministry recognised that targeting merchant vessels and leveraging the Strait of Hormuz constitutes acts of piracy by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). "Targeting commercial shipping and using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion or blackmail represents acts of piracy by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, and constitutes a direct threat to the stability of the region, its peoples, and global energy security," the statement read. The UAE warned that such hostile acts pose a direct and severe threat to regional stability, the safety of coastal populations, and the security of global energy supplies. Reiterating its call for international compliance, the UAE stressed "the need for Iran to halt these unprovoked attacks, ensure its full commitment to an immediate cessation of all hostilities, and the complete and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in order to safeguard regional security and maintain the stability of the global economy and trade." On the other hand, Iran blamed what it called "foreign military aggression" for oil pollution along the shores of Qeshm Island, alleging that contamination in the Persian Gulf is another consequence of military activity in the strategically sensitive Strait of Hormuz. In a post on X, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, in a veiled reference, accused the military strikes by the US and its allied partners in the region of the oil spillage, arguing that the environmental damage highlights the need for Iran, as a key coastal state, to establish and enforce a management framework for the strategic waterways. (ANI)
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