October 31, 2026. Reporting checked at 08:21 UTC.
What happened
The Royal Navy of Oman evacuated 25 crew members from the Panama-flagged merchant vessel RITI 1.6 nautical miles off the coast of Musandam after the ship was targeted and caught fire, Oman said. It gave no injury, damage or attacker details. MarineTraffic lists the RITI as a crude oil tanker, Oman Observer reports.
UKMTO logged two attacks on Friday. A vessel 40 nautical miles south of Iran's Lavan Island was hit on its port side by an unknown projectile, which started a fire; the crew are safe. A later report said a crude oil tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while completing an outbound transit of the strait. Neither record names a ship, and it is not clear whether the second one is the RITI.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards claim four tankers hit mines and caught fire on Friday, including a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels. None was named, and AP could not verify the claims.
Why it matters
Evacuating 25 crew from a burning tanker is a step beyond October 29, when the tanker set alight by small-boat explosives put out its fire and sailed on. The Lavan strike was inside the Gulf, far west of the strait. US Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper said on Friday that the strait's primary transit routes had been cleared of Iranian sea mines.
What to watch
Injury and damage reports for the RITI, its owner and cargo, and any claim of responsibility. Our morning brief has the full picture.
Sources: Royal Navy of Oman and Maritime Security Centre statement, and wire copy (MarineTraffic listing, Cooper), via Oman Observer, October 31; UKMTO incident feed, records 188 and 189, checked October 31; AP, October 30 (IRGC claims, Oman evacuation). Analysis: Maritime Analyst.