Two time-late UKMTO warnings published on November 8 disclosed separate tanker incidents from the previous evening. One vessel caught fire near Khasab and was evacuated. A second outbound tanker reported an unknown-projectile strike one hour later.
1. Tanker fire forces crew evacuation northwest of Khasab
• UKMTO Warning 199-26 records the incident at 1920 UTC on November 7, approximately eight nautical miles northwest of Khasab, Oman.
• Military authorities reported that the tanker was on fire and that the crew had been evacuated. The warning did not disclose how many people were aboard or whether anyone was injured.
• Online reports tentatively identified the vessel as NAVIG8 MESSI, IMO 9482859. Neither UKMTO, JMIC nor the vessel’s operator had confirmed that identification by the cutoff.
• The UAE National Guard separately reported rescuing 22 Arab-national crew members from a cargo-ship fire in the Sea of Oman. All were stable. The vessel was not identified, and no official source established whether this was the same incident.
2. Second outbound tanker reports projectile strike
• UKMTO Warning 200-26 records a separate incident at 2020 UTC on November 7, approximately one hour after the Khasab fire report.
• The vessel’s Company Security Officer reported that an unknown projectile struck the tanker while it was transiting outbound through the Strait of Hormuz.
• All crew were reported safe and accounted for. No environmental impact had been reported when the warning was issued.
• The tanker’s identity, flag, cargo, exact position, damage condition and ability to continue its voyage were not disclosed. Responsibility and weapon type also remain unconfirmed.
• JMIC retained its SEVERE threat assessment for the Strait, with deliberate hostile action considered highly likely. It also identified continuing UAV surveillance, VHF hailing and routing pressure against merchant shipping.
3. Iraq reports agreement for export lane near Oman
• Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said understandings had been reached with the United States to permit Iraqi oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz using a shipping lane near Oman.
• Al Jazeera’s account said Iraqi shipments had resumed following understandings with both Washington and Tehran. No operational notice defining the arrangement was located by the cutoff.
• Iraq’s exports reportedly recovered to approximately 3.5 million barrels per day in October, compared with 2.65 million barrels per day in September.
• Hussein estimated that the war and related export disruption had cost Iraq USD 60 billion.
• Lane coordinates, vessel eligibility, escort arrangements, reporting requirements and the arrangement’s duration were not published. The statement therefore cannot be treated as a general reopening of the Strait.
4. Anchorage backlog remains concentrated east of Hormuz
• JMIC estimated that approximately 162 vessels were anchored around Fujairah and Khor Fakkan on November 8.
• A further 144 vessels were reported between Dubai, Jebel Ali and Ras Al Khaimah, with approximately 46 around Musandam and Sohar.
• JMIC counted approximately 208 stationary commercial vessels at the principal anchorages east of Hormuz, against single to low double-digit AIS-visible Strait transits per day.
• The organisation recorded 91 U.S.-facilitated Hormuz transits from November 5 to 7. It cautioned that assisted-transit and independent tracking figures use different data sets and should not be added directly.
• Anchorage estimates exclude AIS-dark vessels. Satellite-radar observations were reported as consistent with the visible concentrations around Fujairah, Khor Fakkan and Sohar.
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Sources
UK Maritime Trade Operations, Joint Maritime Information Center, Reuters, Al Jazeera, Emirates News Agency
This update is part of the DeepDraft SITREP series covering developing maritime operational situations.
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