Tanker Hit by Unknown Projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, Fire Extinguished and Crew Safe

According to Sina Finance, the UK Maritime Trade Operations center said on Thursday, August 27, that a tanker was hit by an unknown projectile and caught fire in waters between Iran and Oman in the Strait of Hormuz. The fire was later extinguished, all crew members were safe, no environmental damage such as an oil spill was reported, and an investigation is under way. Maritime data analysts later identified the vessel as the Liberia-flagged Aframax product tanker Metro Venetian, IMO 1013391. At the time, it was carrying about 704,000 barrels of jet fuel and was sailing out of the strait when its engine room was hit about 9 nautical miles northeast of Ash Shishah, Oman; it briefly lost power, later regained limited propulsion, and headed for Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates. UKMTO said the incident was recorded as having occurred on Tuesday, while some shipping-tracking platforms logged it as August 24. The report did not directly identify the attacker.