Two ships hit by projectiles in Strait of Hormuz, maritime agency says

Dubai: Two ships sustained minor damage after coming under attack in the Strait of Hormuz, a British maritime agency reported Wednesday.

Both vessels were struck on Tuesday by an "unknown projectile", bringing to four the number of attacks on ships in Hormuz that day.

Iran and the United States continue to vie for control of the waterway, a vital shipping route for Gulf energy exports.


Read more: Iran-US War to escalate before US midterm elections in November? Experts claim Tehran's new tactics to control Strait of Hormuz

Tehran regularly targets ships it accuses of transiting without its permission, while Washington has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said a 50,000-tonne container ship and another 19,000-tonne vessel were struck but continued on their way after sustaining only minor damage.

No casualties were reported in the attacks.

The agency earlier reported two other attacks on Tuesday targeting a tanker and a container ship, without specifying whether they had caused damage or casualties.

Read more: India-Iran NSAs hold conversation amid fresh incidents in Hormuz Strait; Saudi situation

British security firm Vanguard also said attacks had targeted four ships. It identified the vessels as the GFS Pride and GFS Giselle, both sailing under Singaporean flags, and the Alfonso, which was flying a Barbados flag. The fourth ship was identified as the Al Saadiyat, sailing under the Marshall Islands flag.

According to Vanguard, the GFS Pride, a container ship, sank, while the fate of the Alfonso, a tanker, remains unknown.

The other two ships continued on their way.

On Wednesday, Iran said that a ship had caught fire and sank after hitting a mine in the strait, without specifying when. It was unclear if they were referring to one of the four ships mentioned by the maritime agencies.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's hydrocarbons usually transit, has become the main theatre of conflict in the Middle East war.

The war was triggered in late February by US-Israeli strikes against Iran.

Since then, Tehran has exerted control over Hormuz and regularly targets ships it accuses of transiting without its authorisation.

In response, Washington has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports in an attempt to squeeze the country's economy.