A cargo ship caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after being struck by a projectile just north of Oman, forcing its crew to abandon the vessel. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations confirmed the attack, stating the ship was hit above the waterline, triggering a fire in the engine room. All crew members were safely evacuated.
The incident marks the fourth reported attack on vessels in regional waters within twenty-four hours. Singapore, whose fleet ranks among the world’s largest, is closely monitoring the situation as several Singapore-flagged vessels remain anchored outside the strait, unable to transit safely.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore has advised all vessel operators to exercise extreme caution in the region. With over thirty percent of the world’s seaborne oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz, Singapore’s trade-dependent economy faces potential exposure to supply chain disruptions and rising freight costs.
The United States Navy destroyed sixteen Iranian mine-laying vessels on Tuesday in response to escalating threats. Iran has vowed to block oil shipments to Western-aligned nations, pushing Brent crude sharply higher and leaving global energy markets on edge.