Update, 23 October 2026: Another tanker was hit near the Strait of Hormuz. UKMTO published Warning 181-26 on 23 October. It says a tanker was hit by an unknown projectile on 22 October at 1715 UTC. This happened about 7 nautical miles northeast of Limah, Oman, while the ship was sailing out of the strait. The ship's company security officer reported it late. The tanker was able to continue its voyage to its next port. UKMTO did not name the ship and did not give details about the crew or any damage. It tells ships to transit with caution and report anything suspicious.
Update, 21 October 2026: The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) has raised the threat level for the Arabian Gulf to SUBSTANTIAL. JMIC said in its update of 18 October that this is because of four Iranian attacks since 7 October and more navigation interference. It says another attack is a strong possibility. The Strait of Hormuz stays at SEVERE. Separately, UKMTO reported a new attack in the northern Gulf. On 20 October at 1830 UTC, the master of a tanker about 30 nautical miles southeast of Al Faw, Iraq, reported being hit by an unknown projectile. The crew are safe, and no damage or pollution was reported (UKMTO 180-26). Seatrade Maritime named this ship as the Liberian-flagged tanker Soyia.
On 21 October the Kuwait-flagged tanker Al Dasma (IMO 9653446) was hit by an unknown projectile about 11 nautical miles west of Bukha, Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz. NAVAREA IX warning 393/26, issued at 0145 UTC, said the ship was on fire and drifting. The fire was put out. The tanker is now at anchor. All crew are safe. No pollution was reported. IMO's incident list says this was the second attack on Al Dasma. The first was on 7 September, southeast of the Strait of Hormuz. IMO's list records the new attack under 20 October. UKMTO later confirmed these facts in its Warning 179-26, which does not name the ship. India's shipping minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, said on X that 21 Indian seafarers were on board. He said all of them and the rest of the crew are safe.
Attacks on merchant ships around the Strait of Hormuz continued through mid-October. In its weekly overview of 16 October 2026, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said 12 attacks were reported that week: 10 in the Strait of Hormuz, one in the Arabian Gulf and one in the Gulf of Oman.
Of those 12 ships, UKMTO said six continued their voyage or reached port, one was lost, two were disabled or not under command, and the outcome for three was unconfirmed. UKMTO also said it is struggling to report the true number of attacks, because most attacked ships are not reporting to it.
Ships hit and crew affected
According to UKMTO, a container ship struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on 13 October caught fire, drifted and sank on 14 October, about 4 nautical miles northwest of Ras Shaykh Masud. All crew were evacuated without injuries.
On 11 October a products tanker was hit by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV, or drone) in the Gulf of Oman, and the crew evacuated. UKMTO said India's Ministry of External Affairs reported two crew members missing. IMO's incident list records two seafarers missing from the Petro Dolphin at Sohar anchorage on that date.
IMO's list also records injuries in recent attacks: twelve seafarers on the On Peace on 5 October, two on the Ever Vict and one on the DP World Kaveri on 11 October. As at 22 October 2026, IMO counted 120 confirmed incidents in the region and 24 confirmed seafarer deaths.
New incidents since 16 October
16 October, 0900 UTC: the tanker ST3 was struck by an unknown projectile 68 nautical miles northeast of Al Jubayl, Saudi Arabia. All crew were reported safe and were evacuated (UKMTO 174-26; JMIC named the ship).
16 October, 1922 UTC: a tanker 78 nautical miles northeast of Al Jubayl was attacked with an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) fired from a small boat. The aft port quarter was damaged. Crew were reported safe (UKMTO 175-26). IMO's list names the ship as the tanker Loyalty.
17 October, 1030 UTC: an LNG tanker 140 nautical miles southeast of Al Mukalla, Yemen, was approached by a skiff with seven people on board, which fired two shots. The ship's armed security team fired two warning shots and the skiff changed course (UKMTO 176-26).
18 October: a southbound tug northeast of Khor Fakkan, UAE, was struck by two unknown projectiles. It was damaged but continued its route. One minor casualty was reported (UKMTO 177-26). IMO's list names the tug as Jif Barracuda and says one seafarer was injured.
19 October: IMO's list records the ship Chloe (also listed as Miverva V) as damaged about 121 nautical miles off the coast of Oman. No pollution was reported.
20 October, 1830 UTC: the master of a tanker about 30 nautical miles southeast of Al Faw, Iraq, reported being struck by an unknown projectile. Crew safe; no damage or pollution reported. UKMTO received the report late (UKMTO 180-26).
21 October, 0145 UTC: the Kuwait-flagged tanker Al Dasma was hit by an unknown projectile about 11 nautical miles west of Bukha, Oman. Fire put out; ship at anchor; all crew safe; no pollution reported (NAVAREA IX 393/26; UKMTO 179-26).
22 October, 1715 UTC: a tanker sailing out of the Strait of Hormuz was hit by an unknown projectile about 7 nautical miles northeast of Limah, Oman. The ship continued its voyage. UKMTO received the report late and gave no crew or damage details (UKMTO 181-26).
Traffic remains low. UKMTO counted 125 outbound and 129 inbound transits of the Strait of Hormuz in the latest week, about 70% below pre-conflict levels. In its update of 18 October, JMIC kept the threat level for the Strait of Hormuz at SEVERE and raised the Arabian Gulf to SUBSTANTIAL. On that day JMIC counted about 217 ships at anchor off Fujairah and Khor Fakkan, and about 166 between Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah.
UKMTO published the weekly overview on its official X account on 16 October. The post below links to the full report and shows its cover page with year-to-date totals of warnings, advisories and incidents.
Post on X
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What it means for crews
IMO says around 20,000 seafarers, as well as port workers and offshore crews, are affected in the region. Its evacuation plan for ships confined in the Gulf is currently paused.
UKMTO advises ships to transit with caution and to report any suspicious activity. Its watchkeepers can be reached at watchkeepers@ukmto.org or +44 (0) 2392 222060.
JMIC says ships that stay at anchor or stopped for a long time, especially with AIS (the Automatic Identification System) switched on, may face a higher risk of attack. It suggests ships avoid fixed patterns and move within the anchorage from time to time. Any move should follow the master's judgment and be agreed with the port or VTS (vessel traffic service).
JMIC asks ships in higher-threat areas to register with UKMTO and report to it regularly, whether or not their AIS is on.
On 10 October several masters at anchor near Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, were told by VHF broadcast to move from their anchorages, and authorities are investigating. JMIC advises mariners to coordinate all movements with the relevant port authorities.
Seafarers whose certificates are affected by the situation can refer to IMO guidance MSC.1/Circ.1698 (6 July 2026) on training and certification.
IMO's Middle East page lists helplines, support resources and regional contact points for affected seafarers.
Cover photo: The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Monomoy patrols near the Al Basrah Oil Terminal in the northern Gulf as a tanker loads crude oil, October 2004. Photo: Photographer's Mate 1st Class David C. Lloyd, U.S. Navy/Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
Sources: UKMTO Warning 181-26 (23 Oct 2026), Sarbananda Sonowal on X: 21 Indian seafarers on Al Dasma safe (21 Oct 2026), Seatrade Maritime: Fire on KOTC vessel struck off Oman, tanker hit near Iraq (21 Oct 2026), UKMTO Warning 179-26 (21 Oct 2026), UKMTO Warning 180-26 (21 Oct 2026), JMIC Advisory Note, Update 106 (18 Oct 2026), gCaptain: Two more tankers struck (21 Oct 2026), NAVAREA IX 393/26 (21 Oct 2026), Clearwater Dynamics alert on Al Dasma, Reuters via Devdiscourse (21 Oct 2026), AFP via Arab News (21 Oct 2026), UKMTO recent incidents, UKMTO Voluntary Reporting Area weekly overview No. 11 (16 Oct 2026), UKMTO Warning 174-26, UKMTO Warning 175-26, UKMTO Warning 176-26, UKMTO Warning 177-26, JMIC Advisory Note, Update 103 (8 Oct 2026), IMO: Middle East - Highlighted (confirmed) incidents, IMO: Middle East - Strait of Hormuz information for shipping and seafarers.
