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At least three vessels have been hit in the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), other maritime security agencies and news agencies reported on March 11, amid a de facto Iranian blockade on the strategic waterway.
The Japan-flagged container ship One Majesty had sustained minor damage from an unknown projectile 25 nautical miles northwest of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates, according to Asharq Al Awsat and Al Arabia, who cited maritime security sources. The ship’s crew members are safe and the vessel is sailing towards a safe anchorage, according to the sources.
Later, a Thailand-flagged bulk carrier Mayuree Naree was targeted and damaged approximately 11 nautical miles north of Oman. UKMTO said, referring to the incident, that the fire had been extinguished and that there was no environmental impact. Thailand’s Transport Ministry said that 20 crew members were rescued, but three remain missing.
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A third vessel, a bulk carrier, was also hit by an unknown projectile approximately 50 miles northwest of Dubai in the UAE, UKMTO and other security firms said.
The projectile had damaged the hull of the Marshall Islands-flagged Star Gwyneth, maritime risk management company Vanguard said, adding that the vessel’s crew were safe.
In a statement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed that it was behind the attack on Mayuree Naree, and said that its forces also struck a Liberian-flagged container ship “owned by Israel,” the Express Room, after repeated warnings.
“The Strait of Hormuz remains under the constant and intelligent management of the brave naval forces of the IRGC. American aggressors and their partners have no right to passage,” the guards said.
Commenting on the attacks, Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the IRGC Navy, wrote on his X account: “Were the ships assured they could freely pass through the Strait of Hormuz? You should ask the crews of EXPRESS ROOM and MAYUREE NAREE, who today trusted empty promises, ignored warnings, and attempted passage—but were caught. Any vessel intending to transit must obtain permission from Iran.”
The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most critical maritime chokepoint, with approximately 20.9 million barrels of oil per day — roughly one-fifth of global consumption passing through. The waterway serves as the primary gateway for energy exports from major producers like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Kuwait.
The IRGC previously warned that any ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz would be attacked, and the waterway has effectively been closed since the start of the American-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic, with multiple tankers hit by Iranian fire nearby.
The latest incidents increase the number of ships that have been attacked in the waterway and in nearby waters since the war began to at least 14.
A day earlier, American media reports claimed that U.S. intelligence had started seeing indications that Iran is taking steps to deploy mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump responded by threatening the Islamic Republic, and the Central Command said that it destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the waterway.
The latest attacks show that the Strait of Hormuz remains firmly under Iranian control. The U.S. military, which targeted more than 60 Iranian warships, has been way less successful when it comes to the Islamic Republic’s other anti-shipping capabilities.
With Iran possessing the ability to deploy mines, unmanned one-way-attack boats, and underwater vessels, in addition to coastal anti-ship missiles batteries, the waterway will likely remain closed until the war ends, or some side agreement is reached.
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iran is getting desperate…heheheh
false flag ? how come ship metal is blown from inside to outside
where do the iranians have their ayatollah? on a ventilator or in an artificial coma? the jew putler sits on two chairs. pez tropical mix and the coma ayatollah are not smart enough to demand payment for iranian drones. i wish that after xi jinping, someone would come to chinas power as a boss and say: putler, you are sitting on two chairs, i will move both of them and you will fall to the ground.