A tanker leaving the Strait of Hormuz reported an explosion on 5 November 2026. UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) published Warning 197-26 on 6 November.
The master said the explosion was at the waterline on the port side. Port means the left side of the ship when you face forward. The position was about 16 nautical miles east of Khasab, Oman.
Khasab is a town on Oman's Musandam peninsula. Ships pass this area when they leave the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf of Oman.
What UKMTO confirmed
Incident time: 22:00 UTC on 5 November 2026.
The report was time-late. That means UKMTO received it after the event.
All crew are safe and accounted for.
The tanker is still under its own power and is continuing its voyage.
UKMTO listed the event as an attack. It did not name the ship. It did not say what caused the explosion.
UKMTO advises ships to transit with caution and to report any suspicious activity while authorities investigate.
UKMTO is a British navy centre that takes reports from merchant ships in the region. Its emergency phone is +44 2392 222060. Its email is watchkeepers@ukmto.org.
How this fits other recent hits
This is a different incident from the strike on the tanker Velos Sapphire north of Qatar on 4 November (UKMTO Warning 196-26). One seafarer died on that ship. Read our Arabian Gulf post on Velos Sapphire.
It is also separate from the three attacks near Limah, Oman, earlier in the week. Limah is also on the Musandam peninsula. See our post on the Limah attacks and the death of an Indian seafarer on the dhow Al Jusufi.
The Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman remain an IBF warlike area until 19 November 2026. Read what the IBF warlike area means for pay and the right to refuse a voyage.
What crews can do now
Follow your company security plan and the latest BMP or industry guidance for Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.
Report any explosion, near miss or suspicious craft to UKMTO as soon as it is safe.
Keep a good lookout. Limit time on open deck when the threat is high, unless the master says the work is needed for safety.
Know your citadel or safe muster point. Practise how to get there quickly in the dark.
If your ship is hit, first protect life, then fire and flooding, then report. Do not go on deck to look at damage until the master says it is safe.
On a ship with an IBF agreement, you may refuse to sail into a warlike area. Tell the company in writing before the ship enters, and keep a copy.
Help lines and security contacts are on Crewboard's useful links.
Cover photo: Aerial view of Elphinstone Inlet on Oman's Musandam peninsula, October 2016. Illustrative photo of the land near the Strait of Hormuz, not the tanker in this warning. Photo: Rita Willaert/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5.
Sources: UKMTO Warning 197-26: attack, 16 NM east of Khasab, Oman, 5 November 2026 (PDF), UKMTO on X: Warning 197-26 (6 Nov 2026), Arab News: Tanker reports explosion near Oman's Khasab while transiting Strait of Hormuz, UKMTO says (6 Nov 2026), Roya News: Blast strikes tanker off coast of Oman in Strait of Hormuz corridor, UKMTO says (6 Nov 2026), Clearwater Dynamics: Explosion on Tanker, Strait of Hormuz (alert 33586).
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