International Newsroom, Mar 11 (EFE).– The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which monitors the safety of ships and seafarers worldwide, reported that a container ship was hit by a projectile a short distance from the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the UKMTO alert, the ship’s captain reported that the vessel was damaged by an unidentified projectile 25 nautical miles (46 kilometers) northwest of Ras Al Khaimah, off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
This location is still within the Persian Gulf but close to Hormuz, a key strait for oil transport that is currently on high alert due to the ongoing conflict between the United States and Israel against Iran.
The captain confirmed that all crew members are safe. The UKMTO has recorded 14 incidents affecting ships around the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman between Feb. 28, when the conflict began, and Mar. 10.
Of these incidents, four are reports of «suspicious activity,» such as hearing or seeing explosions, and 10 are attacks that have impacted a vessel.
The International Maritime Organization reports that these attacks have left seven sailors dead.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world’s crude oil normally passes, has seen its traffic drop drastically since the US and Israel launched an attack against Iran, triggering an escalation of regional tensions, with Tehran retaliating against US-allied Gulf states.
Iran, which has closed the strait to the north, has repeatedly threatened to prevent the export of a single liter of oil from the region if attacks against it do not cease, while Washington has said that the offensive will only escalate if Tehran blocks the flow of crude oil through this strategic point.
Attacks on oil tankers and cargo ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, coupled with these persistent threats, have left the strait virtually closed to traffic. EFE
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