The UK Maritime Trade Operations authority said on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, that it had received a report that a vessel had been hit by a projectile of unknown origin inside the Strait of Hormuz, causing it to catch fire as it drifted at sea. The authority confirmed that all crew members had been evacuated, with two injured.
The incident coincided with initial indications of a decline in the movement of commodity-carrying vessels through the waterway. Shipping data released on Wednesday showed that three vessels in this category transited the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, compared with four the previous day. The recorded number was also below the 10-day moving average of about 15 vessels.
Tracking data may not reflect all transits
However, transit figures may change because some vessels switch off their transponders while sailing, which may affect the monitoring of their positions and the calculation of the number of vessels in transit. According to data from vessel-tracking company Kpler at 02:00 GMT, the three vessels were leaving the strait.
The vessels tracked included a Panamax-class carrier, along with the two other vessels carrying commodities through the waterway. Data from Kpler and the London Stock Exchange Group showed that the liquefied natural gas carrier Al Mfair reappeared inside the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. The carrier was last seen outside the waterway on 19 September, before tracking data detected it inside the strait again.
The Strait of Hormuz is a key route for global energy supplies, carrying one-fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies before the conflict between the United States and Iran began. This gives developments in navigation and vessel movements there broad significance for energy markets and maritime transport.
