Six vessels have reported being struck by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz since Sunday, September 28, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), with the latest incident logged at 1122 UTC on Friday.

The master's report from Friday's outbound transit — designated UKMTO Warning 148-26 — described a hit by an unknown projectile that caused a small fire and a shipboard blackout. Crews extinguished the fire and the tanker continued underway, UKMTO said. No casualties or pollution were reported. The agency has not named the vessel or attributed the attack.

What happened in Friday's incident?

The Friday strike is the sixth confirmed case in a waterway that handles the bulk of seaborne crude exports from the Persian Gulf. UKMTO's warning describes a self-contained event: projectile impact, localised fire, blackout, and a vessel that resumed passage. The reporting suggests no current request for assistance and no spill response activation, but the absence of vessel particulars leaves charterers and P&I clubs without an underwriter-defining identity.

How did the earlier five reports emerge?

The pattern of disclosure is as notable as the attacks themselves. UKMTO's chronology:

• Sunday evening, Sept 28: A vessel struck by a suspected projectile and caught fire. UKMTO classified the case as "suspicious activity." The vessel remained underway and the crew was safe.
• Monday, Sept 29: Three additional tanker strikes occurred. None surfaced publicly until Wednesday, when UKMTO issued separate time-late warnings, each describing a hit by an unknown projectile with limited detail on damage or casualties.
• Thursday: A further tanker hit was reported during transit, with a fire and the crew reported safe. The extent of damage was not immediately disclosed.
• Friday, 1122 UTC: UKMTO Warning 148-26, the latest strike.

gCaptain reported on Wednesday that the delay between incidents and public notification was adding to uncertainty over how quickly events in the strait were reaching the maritime record.

What are the implications for tanker operations?

The Strait of Hormuz is the only sea route from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, and a cluster of attacks on outbound transits feeds directly into war risk pricing, charter party clauses, and routing decisions. With vessel identities still undisclosed, shipowners cannot yet attribute incidents, and underwriters are likely to reassess transit coverage pending the next UKMTO advisory or naval investigation.

Operators weighing the Cape of Good Hope diversion face a longer round voyage, which tightens effective tanker capacity on Atlantic basin routes and exposes charterers to demurrage if load or discharge windows slip. Forwarders booking Gulf crude and product cargoes should expect underwriters to reprice calls and to scrutinise master's transit confirmations before issuing cover for the next sailing window.

What should the market watch next?

UKMTO has yet to identify any of the six vessels, name flag states, or assign responsibility for the attacks. Charterers, traders, and P&I clubs will look to the next UKMTO advisory for vessel particulars, casualty status, and any pollution update. A seventh projectile strike on an outbound Hormuz transit would deepen the reporting-lag concerns raised this week and almost certainly lift war risk premiums on tankers fixing out of the Arabian Gulf, with knock-on effects across Atlantic basin voyage chartering through the end of the quarter.