Tanker struck by unknown projectile in Strait of Hormuz; two crew lightly injured, UKMTO says

A tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz was struck by an unknown projectile on 21 September 2026, leaving two crew members with minor injuries, MarineLink reported, citing a United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations advisory.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said military authorities had informed it of the incident on 21 September 2026. The advisory identified the vessel only as a tanker and described the cause of the strike as an unknown projectile.

Two crew members suffered minor injuries, the UKMTO notice stated. No further details on the condition of the remainder of the crew, the extent of any damage to the vessel or the ship's identity were supplied in the advisory.

Incident details

The available advisory confined its description to the vessel's category and the reported hit, and did not provide the ship's name, flag or operator. There was no information included on cargo, voyage origin or destination.

The UKMTO notice also did not specify which military authorities supplied the information, or indicate whether the projectile was fired from shore, another vessel or from an aircraft. The advisory, as reported by MarineLink, offered no attribution of responsibility.

Reporting and next steps

MarineLink's item, dated 21 September 2026, relayed the UKMTO advisory without additional detail. At the time of that report, UKMTO had issued the initial notification and no follow-up information had been appended to the advisory in the account cited.

The narrow scope of the notice means further confirmation would be required to establish the full circumstances of the strike, the type of projectile involved and the sequence of events leading to the injuries aboard. The advisory does, however, confirm an event affecting a merchant vessel transiting the waterway on that date.

Authorities and maritime information services traditionally circulate such advisories to inform ships and operators in the area; the MarineLink report presented the UKMTO notice as issued on 21 September 2026. No subsequent statements, corrective notices or expanded briefings were included in the supplied notes.

Until additional, verified information is released by the UKMTO, the reporting military authorities or the vessel's owners or managers, available public detail remains limited to the facts in the advisory: the strike by an unknown projectile, the vessel type, the location described as the Strait of Hormuz and the two crew members sustaining minor injuries.