On March 11, 2026, the Thai-flagged cargo ship Mayuri Nary was covered in black smoke in the Strait of Hormuz.
Reuters
The UK Maritime Trade Operations Center said on Wednesday that three ships off the Iranian coast had been attacked by projectiles, the latest in a series of incidents reported in or near the Strait of Hormuz.
UKMTO reported that one of the vessels collided in the Strait of Hormuz, 11 nautical miles north of Oman, saying a fire broke out on board and the crew had to be evacuated, but did not identify the vessel.
Two other incidents were reported on Wednesday morning, with one vessel struck by a projectile about 50 nautical miles northwest of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and another damaged off the coast of the UAE.
The UKMTO urged vessels sailing in the area to proceed with caution and report any suspicious activity while authorities continue to investigate.
According to Reuters, the Thai Navy said a Thai-flagged container ship carrying 23 people was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Photos showed black smoke billowing from the Mayley Nally ship.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards later said they opened fire on the vessel in the waterway, Reuters reported, citing the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Infographic with map of the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz showing attacks on merchant vessels from February 28th to March 11th 12:00 GMT
AFP | Getty Images
Shipping traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz has come to a near standstill since the United States and Israel began airstrikes against Iran on February 28. Iran has retaliated by targeting ships attempting to pass through the strait, with several incidents reported in recent days.
The waterway is a narrow maritime corridor connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Typically, about 20% of the world’s oil and gas passes through it.
US forces sank several Iranian vessels, including 16 minelayers, near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, US Central Command said.
The update followed an earlier announcement by US President Donald Trump, who said that if Iran plants landmines in waterways, “we will demand that they be removed immediately.”
UKMTO announced that between February 28, when the war began, and March 11, it had received 17 reports of incidents affecting ships operating in and around the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman. These include 13 reports of attacks and four reports of suspicious activity.
“Iran’s swift and widespread retaliation against shipping and the region’s energy, ports and economic infrastructure has severed a key artery in the global supply chain, with the flow of oil, refined products, LNG and chemicals all but halted,” Torbjorn Soltvedt, chief Middle East analyst at risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft, said in a note Wednesday.
He added: “Additional attacks overnight on ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz highlight that Iran remains a very real threat to shipping.”
