Vessel struck near Strait of Hormuz -- maritime agency

Make this your preferred source to get more updates from this publisher on Google.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - British maritime agency UKMTO reported on Monday that a vessel was struck by "an unknown projectile" near the Strait of Hormuz a day earlier, marking the latest disturbance in the contested waterway.

The agency said the incident occurred on Sunday off the coast of Lima, Oman, around the mouth of the strait.

"The master reports the vessel has been struck by an unknown projectile which has caused a hole on the starboard side. Vessel and crew safe, no environmental impact reported," the agency said in a statement.

The Strait of Hormuz carried roughly 20 percent of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas before the Middle East war, which erupted with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.

Since then, Tehran has placed a chokehold on the shipping route and regularly targets ships that pass without its authorization.

Washington has responded by maintaining a blockade on Iranian ports, and negotiations between the two countries are deadlocked.

Attacks on vessels attempting to cross the waterway have increased recently, as Washington escorts more ships through the strait and Tehran seeks to maintain control over their passage. — Agence France-Presse