UKMTO reports two tanker incidents off Oman as Kuwait says it intercepts Iranian drones

UKMTO reported two maritime incidents off Oman on Saturday: a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile near Lima, damaging its engine room, and another tanker reported a splash and explosion near Khasab. No casualties were reported. Separately, Kuwait's army said it intercepted and destroyed Iranian drones targeting vital facilities, causing material damage but no casualties. The incidents occurred near the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil chokepoint, amid heightened Iran-US hostilities.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on Saturday two maritime incidents off the coast of Oman, raising concerns about shipping security near the Strait of Hormuz. In the first incident, a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile approximately 11 nautical miles northeast of Oman's Lima, causing damage to its engine room and leaving the vessel not under command. UKMTO stated there were no reported casualties or environmental impact. In the second incident, reported 21 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, the master of a tanker observed a large splash and an explosion in close proximity to the vessel, though no damage was reported. Lima and Khasab are located on Oman's Musandam Peninsula, at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic shipping chokepoint through which about a fifth of global oil consumption passes. Shipping through the strait has faced heightened risks in recent weeks, with vessels reporting security incidents and some shipowners adopting additional precautions as Iran and the United States stepped up hostilities. Separately, Kuwait's army said on Saturday it had detected and destroyed hostile drones in the country's airspace since dawn, and that what it described as an Iranian attack had targeted several vital facilities. A government facility in northern Kuwait and civilian property belonging to a company on Bubiyan Island were hit, with falling shrapnel causing material damage but no casualties.