A container vessel was struck by an unidentified projectile in the Gulf, about 25 nautical miles south of Iran’s Kish Island, causing damage above the waterline but no injuries to crew, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Center said on Tuesday. 

UKMTO, which monitors shipping risks in the region, said the crew were safe and accounted for, and no environmental impact had been reported. Authorities are investigating the incident, it added. 

The attack is the latest in a string of reported strikes and near-misses involving commercial vessels in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil and container traffic.

While the vessel has not been officially identified, industry sources and open-source reporting have speculated it could be the 4,250-TEU Qingdao Star, a Marshall Islands-flagged container ship previously cited in Iranian claims of attacks on shipping in the region. Those claims have not been independently verified.

Earlier this week, a container ship reported projectiles splashing nearby at the UAE port of Khor Fakkan, and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has also claimed responsibility for separate strikes that could not be corroborated. 

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