Projectile strikes cargo vessel in Hormuz
Shafaq News- London
An unknown projectile struck a cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, leaving it on fire and adrift and forcing the evacuation of its entire crew, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.
The company security officer reported two casualties, although UKMTO did not specify whether they were killed or injured.
UKMTO WARNING 142-26Click here to view the full product ⤵️https://t.co/131m2ygCnX pic.twitter.com/KfCuXzfZ3T
— UKMTO Operations Centre (@UK_MTO) September 23, 2026
The incident adds to a series of disruptions to commercial shipping through the strategic waterway, where traffic has fallen sharply amid the US-Israeli war with Iran. On Monday, debris from unknown projectiles hit an outbound LPG tanker, which continued to its next port with its crew unharmed, while a separate inbound ship sustained a strike that left two crew members with minor injuries but remained under its own power.
Ship-tracking firm Kpler counted 17 commodity vessels transiting Hormuz over the weekend, compared with 37 a week earlier. Before the US-Israeli war with Iran began on Feb. 28, around 125 large commercial ships typically passed through Hormuz each day, including oil tankers, gas carriers, bulk carriers, and container ships. The waterway normally handles roughly 20% of global oil flows.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that US forces had redirected 110 commercial vessels as of Sept. 21 as part of enforcement of the US blockade.
