Kuwaiti tanker Al-Dasma hit by projectile near Strait of Hormuz

The Kuwaiti tanker "Al-Dasma" was hit by an unknown projectile on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, about 11 nautical miles west of the port of Bukha in Oman's Musandam governorate, at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. The tanker belongs to the Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC); after the projectile struck, it caught fire and came to a halt in the water.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre (UKMTO) reported the attack, and a NAVAREA IX navigational warning, issued at around 5:15 a.m. Tehran time, named the vessel. According to these reports, the fire has been brought under control and all crew members are safe, but the extent of the damage and the environmental consequences are not yet clear. The British maritime security firm Ambrey said the tanker was not transmitting its position via the Automatic Identification System (AIS) at the time of the incident; it is unclear whether this is connected to the attack.

IRGC warnings and repeated attacks in the Strait of Hormuz

No party has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, and the type of projectile has not been identified. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had earlier warned ships that switch off their navigation and identification systems or pass through the strait without the Islamic Republic's permission, and on Tuesday it claimed that three tankers had struck mines it had laid itself. According to data from the firm Kpler, at least 18 attacks on commercial vessels have been recorded in the area over the past two weeks; DIAR earlier reported that ships' engine rooms have become the new target of these attacks.

IMO Secretary-General: mines are still in the strait

At the same time, Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), said the organisation's information shows that mines remain in the Strait of Hormuz and that, as long as the conflict continues, no one can guarantee that a ship will not hit a mine. He added that the only route approved by the organisation in the strait is the one approved in 1966, and that the message the Islamic Republic sent about a temporary route in its own waters does not amount to official approval or a decision by the organisation.

Dominguez noted that about one fifth of the world's crude oil, 19% of its liquefied natural gas and nearly a third of its fertilisers and chemicals pass through the area, and that the Strait of Hormuz has not returned to its pre-war state. Abbas Araghchi, the Islamic Republic's foreign minister, has said the strait will remain closed without an agreement with the United States; mediation by Qatar and Pakistan between Tehran and Washington has so far not produced a new agreement.

The Kuwaiti tanker Al-Dasma is the latest victim of insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz; the IMO Secretary-General says mines still remain in the waterway.