Unknown projectile hits ship in Persian Gulf south of Lavan Island

A merchant ship was hit by an unknown projectile on Friday, 30 October 2026, at 21:30 Tehran time, about 40 nautical miles (74 kilometres) south of Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf. The projectile struck the port side of the hull and started a fire inside the vessel.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency, which monitors shipping security in the region, said all crew members are safe and no environmental damage has been reported so far. It did not give the name or type of the ship, the type of projectile or its origin, and said the incident is under investigation. Vessels passing through the area have been advised to proceed with caution and report any suspicious activity.

Other attacks on ships

The incident came shortly after several other attacks on ships. On Thursday night a ship caught fire 25 miles northeast of Khasab in Oman, hours after another tanker had been hit by a projectile. On Friday, CENTCOM called the IRGC's claim that it had destroyed a US unmanned vessel in the Strait of Hormuz false, and Oman rescued 25 crew members from a burning tanker.

The IRGC Navy claimed on Friday that four tankers had struck mines in the Strait of Hormuz and caught fire; US officials have rejected the claim. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency still rates the threat level in the Strait of Hormuz as "severe".

Lavan Island is one of Iran's oil export terminals in the Persian Gulf. Friday's incident took place in the middle of the Persian Gulf, far from the Strait of Hormuz, where most of the attacks of recent weeks have occurred.

An unknown projectile set a ship on fire on Friday night 40 miles south of Lavan.