A vessel was reportedly hit by a missile in the Gulf of Oman, off the coast of Pakistan, on Tuesday, according to United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
The incident took place in water that connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz. The Gulf of Oman also runs along Pakistan’s southwestern coastline and is close to key port Gwadar.
The report comes amid heightened tensions and growing security concerns around shipping routes in the region. The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints, has faced disruptions in recent months, forcing commercial vessels to navigate with increased caution.
Details about the vessel, including its name, flag, the extent of the damage and the condition of its crew, were not immediately available.
Altough, Reuters report suggests that the Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova was hit by a missile while sailing through the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday, about 71 nautical miles off the coast of Pakistan, according to separate statements from British maritime risk management firm Vanguard and a maritime security source.
The latest incident could further add to concerns among shipping companies and insurers over the safety of commercial vessels operating in and around the Gulf of Oman and the wider Arabian Sea.
The Gulf of Oman is particularly important because vessels leaving the Strait of Hormuz pass through it before entering the Arabian Sea, making any security incident in the area significant for regional and international maritime traffic.
In a saperate incident at least three crew members were killed after a cargo ship was attacked in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The attack was allegedly carried out by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group.
The Houthis have not yet claimed responsibility for the attack. Yemeni sources said two Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian crew member were killed aboard the Tanzania-flagged vessel Tihamah, which was travelling from Salalah in Oman via Djibouti, Reuters reported.
If confirmed, the incident would mark the first Houthi attack on a vessel since the wider Middle East conflict began following US-Israeli strikes on Iran at the end of February.
The attack also comes about a month after the Houthis announced a naval blockade targeting Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea.
