Kumzar, Oman - Sailors safely abandoned a vessel set alight by an attack in the Strait of Hormuz, UK Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said on Monday as the Iran war continues to spiral further out of control.
"The vessel was struck by an unknown projectile," the UKMTO said in a statement posted to its website and shared on social media.
"The crew safely abandoned the vessel and have been recovered by a tugboat," the statement confirmed. "The fire has not been extinguished and the vessel is currently adrift. There is no reported environmental impact."
Earlier, the agency had reported the ship was "on fire" eight nautical miles northwest of Kumzar, Oman.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) said that two oil tankers trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz "exploded and were brought to a halt."
Throughout the war, the IRGC has routinely blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas used to pass.
As part of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed with the US, Tehran supposedly must work with Oman on the waterway's future administration – which it has vowed will never be the same.
After reported strikes on ships in the strait, however, President Donald Trump declared the MOU effectively "over" and relaunched his all-out war of aggression.
As the US rains bombardment upon bombardment across Iranian cities and against crucial infrastructure, Iran has launched retaliatory strikes against many of its neighbors, as well as ships trying to pass through the narrow waterway.