A ship crosses the Gulf of Oman, off the coast of Khor Fakkan, in the emirate of Sharjah, in the east of the United Arab Emirates, on Oct. 13, 2026. (Credit: AFP photo)
A tanker was struck by an ‘‘unknown-origin projectile’’ off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Gulf on Friday, and its crew was evacuated, the British maritime security agency UKMTO reported Saturday.
The vessel was 68 nautical miles northeast of Jubail, according to UKMTO, which said all crew members were safe and no environmental impact had been reported at the time. Maritime security company Vanguard identified the vessel as the ST3 oil tanker, which sails under the Marshall Islands flag.
’’The impact caused a power outage and a fire in the engine room,’’ Vanguard said, adding that the crew had been transferred to a nearby container ship sailing under the United Arab Emirates flag.
The incident occurred hundreds of kilometers from the Strait of Hormuz, through which around one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies typically pass. The waterway has been at the center of the Middle East war, triggered by US and Israeli strikes against Iran in late February.
Since then, Tehran has claimed control of the strait and regularly targeted ships attempting to transit without its permission. In response, Washington has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and deployed escorts for tankers, which have increasingly resumed crossings through the strait.