Bulk carrier attacked by multiple small craft off Iran, UKMTO says

A bulk carrier reported being attacked by multiple small craft off the coast of Iran near the Strait of Hormuz, Britain’s sea trade monitoring agency has said.

In a brief statement on Sunday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said all crew on the unidentified northbound vessel were “reported safe” after the incident that took place 11 nautical miles (20km) west of Sirik, Iran.

“No environmental impact reported,” UKMTO added.

Sirik is located on the Iranian side of the Strait of Hormuz, which has been at the centre of the US-Israel war on Iran.

Iran has maintained a stranglehold on the key waterway since the war began in late February, choking off major flows of oil, gas and fertiliser to the world economy and sending prices soaring.

The United States has imposed a counter-blockade on Iranian ports since April 13, just days after a fragile truce took effect.

Meanwhile, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Sunday that the 49th vessel attempting to enter or exit Iranian ports had been redirected under its blockade.

“As of today, 49 commercial vessels have been redirected to comply with the blockade. US forces remain fully committed to total enforcement,” CENTCOM said in a social media post.