Portsmouth [UK], May 4 (ANI): The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Sunday (local time) that a tanker was hit by unknown projectiles in waters north of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.
All crew members are safe, and no environmental damage has been reported.
The UKMTO said in a post on X, “UKMTO has received a report of an incident 78NM north of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. A tanker has reported being hit by unknown projectiles. All crew reported safe. No environmental impact reported. Authorities are investigating. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.”
The UKMTO did not disclose the identity or flag of the vessel involved. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations is a Royal Navy organization that provides an information route between the military and the wider international maritime trade. Its primary objective is to safeguard international trade by providing mariners with verified security information and facilitating emergency responses to threats such as piracy and regional conflict.
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains significantly reduced. On May 3, 2026, the UKMTO received a report of an incident 11 nautical miles west of Sirik, Iran, in which the master of a northbound bulk carrier reported being attacked by multiple small craft. The vessel departed the area, and all crew were reported safe. Anchorages show no significant change in congestion. Reports of mines in and near the Traffic Separation Scheme persist, and GNSS interference remains sporadic, though reduced from levels recorded in March.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced “Project Freedom,” an initiative aimed at assisting commercial vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating regional tensions in the Gulf.
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday (local time), Trump said countries around the world had requested American assistance to safely guide their ships out of the strategically vital waterway.
“Countries from all over the world, almost all of which are not involved in the Middle Eastern dispute going on so visibly and violently for all to see, have asked the United States if we could help free up their ships, which are locked up in the Strait of Hormuz on something which they have absolutely nothing to do with,” Trump said. (ANI)
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