Five commercial vessels came under attack in the Persian Gulf on Wednesday, with three cargo ships hit near the Strait of Hormuz and two oil tankers set ablaze in Iraqi territorial waters off the coast of Basra.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported that unknown projectiles hit three vessels in or near the strategic waterway.
The Thailand-flagged bulk carrier Mayuree Naree caught fire 11 nautical miles north of Oman, forcing crew members to evacuate. The Royal Thai Navy confirmed the attack in a statement and said 23 people were aboard the vessel. Reports indicated 20 crew members were rescued while three remained on the ship as rescue operations continued.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it fired on the Mayuree Naree, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
UKMTO DAILY SUMMARY 10Mar26-11Mar26
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— UKMTO Operations Centre (@UK_MTO) March 11, 2026
Two other vessels sustained damage on Wednesday morning.
The Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Star Gwyneth was hit 50 nautical miles northwest of Dubai, while the Japanese-flagged container ship ONE Majesty reported damage 25 nautical miles northwest of Ra’s al Khaymah in the United Arab Emirates. UKMTO confirmed all crew members aboard both ships were safe.
In a separate series of incidents, two foreign oil tankers carrying Iraqi fuel were attacked in the northern Persian Gulf. Iraqi port authorities said boats laden with explosives struck the vessels in territorial waters near Khor Al-Zubair Port, igniting fires aboard both ships. Twenty-five crew members were evacuated. Iraqi officials said one of the tankers was reportedly Australian-flagged.
BREAKING:
Iran just struck a large oil tanker in Iraqi territorial waters.
The vessel has been engulfed in flames pic.twitter.com/Tvg3lnkmNV
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 11, 2026
Two foreign oil tankers carrying Iraqi fuel oil were attacked in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Basra, within Iraq’s territorial waters, causing both vessels to catch fire.
Twenty-five crew members aboard the ships have been evacuated, Iraqi authorities reported. pic.twitter.com/vh1l6rAjf2
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 11, 2026
UKMTO has logged 17 incident reports affecting vessels in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman since U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran began on February 28. Thirteen of those reports involve confirmed attacks.
