UKMTO Confirms Tanker Struck by Projectile 9 Miles from Lima, Oman

Key Facts

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that an oil tanker was struck by an unknown projectile 9 nautical miles northeast of Lima, Oman, in a notice published on 2 November 2026. The authority said the projectile caused a hole in the vessel’s starboard side. It added that the tanker and its crew were safe, and no environmental impact was reported. The notice places the incident among documented maritime events in the area, with details limited to the location and damage reported by the authority. The notice did not identify the projectile or the party responsible.

In a separate notice published by UKMTO on 2 November, a tanker heading southeast in the Arabian Gulf was struck by two unknown projectiles on its port side, 72 nautical miles east of Ras Al Khafji, Saudi Arabia. The authority said all crew members were accounted for and no environmental impact was reported. The location of this incident differs from the Lima incident, as do the number of projectiles and the side of the vessel that was hit. The notices show that two separate incidents took place and do not allow the details of each to be combined into one account of a single tanker. The authority did not identify those responsible for either incident in the two statements.

In an assessment published on 1 November, a centre cited by gCaptain said it had recorded 18 confirmed attacks in the Strait of Hormuz since 6 October. The centre said the tally predated the addition of two subsequent UKMTO warnings, making it a dated indicator for the period covered by the assessment rather than a comprehensive count of incidents reported afterward. The figure provides context for the frequency of events in the passage, while the 2 November notices remain two separate cases with their own locations and details. gCaptain quoted the centre as saying the 18 incidents were confirmed attacks in the strait during the specified period. The available material did not provide further details on each incident in the tally.

Regarding shipping traffic, the centre recorded 119 U.S.-facilitated transits between 29 and 31 October, gCaptain reported. Meanwhile, about 490 vessels were waiting outside the Strait of Hormuz as of 1 November, according to the same assessment. The figures combine transits recorded over three days with an approximate number of vessels waiting on a specific date, so they reflect different aspects of the shipping situation. The figures come amid monitoring of passage through the strait alongside reports of attacks and maritime warnings. The material did not link these figures to a specific change in oil prices or shipping costs.

More broadly, the Associated Press said October saw the highest number of attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz since March. The agency linked the escalation to Iran’s attempt to increase economic pressure on the United States to push it to lift its blockade. The agency quoted a U.S. official as saying the United States carried out strikes it described as defensive against Iranian targets in the strait on Monday. It added that the strikes appeared limited compared with a full return to hostilities. This account sets out the security and political developments surrounding the passage without attributing responsibility for the projectiles reported by UKMTO on 2 November to any party.

The Associated Press said oil prices fell sharply on Monday as signs emerged of progress in renewed diplomatic efforts in the Iran war. The agency quoted regional officials as saying Qatari mediators were working on a framework under which Iranian attacks in the strait would stop in exchange for the United States lifting its blockade of Iranian ports. The officials said further talks were scheduled during the week. This diplomatic track remains tied to broader negotiations over the attacks and the blockade, while UKMTO’s notices describe two separate maritime incidents. The available material did not estimate the incidents’ impact on oil prices, while the Associated Press reported the price drop in the context of signs of diplomatic progress.