Merchant vessel catches fire after reported attack near Strait of Hormuz

London, August 8, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)

A merchant vessel caught fire after reportedly being struck near the eastern entrance of the Strait of Hormuz, according to ship-to-ship radio communications on Friday evening.

The communications, transmitted over an open maritime radio channel and obtained by Xinhua from a seafarer, captured crew members reporting a fire and urgently seeking assistance from nearby vessels.

According to the radio exchange, the vessel was sailing near the Omani coast when it was struck, resulting in a fire in the engine room. The crew activated the ship’s onboard carbon dioxide fire suppression system and attempted to contain the blaze through ballast operations.

Firefighting efforts were reportedly hampered by a malfunction in the vessel’s hydraulic system, the communications indicated.

Several vessels in the vicinity responded to the distress calls and said they were proceeding towards the location to assist the affected ship.

The incident comes amid a series of attacks and maritime incidents reported around the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, with several incidents occurring along shipping routes close to the Omani side of the strategic waterway.

Earlier in July, another commercial vessel caught fire off Oman’s coast in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting a warning from British maritime authorities amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) had reported an incident approximately eight nautical miles northwest of Kumzar, Oman. Military authorities told UKMTO that a vessel was on fire, although the cause was not immediately established.

Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has largely come to a standstill amid the US-Iran conflict and growing concerns over the safety of vessels using the vital maritime route.

The US military had earlier advised ships transiting the strait to remain closer to Oman’s coastline. Iran, however, has attacked vessels using those routes, maintaining that it should control navigation through the waterway.