An oil tanker was hit by a shell and caught fire 31 nautical miles (54 km) northwest of Dubai, UAE, the Royal Navy's Merchant Marine Operations (UKMTO) said.
„The company's safety officer said an unknown shell hit their tanker on the starboard side, causing a fire on board. "There are no crew members missing and they are safe," UKMTO said, without providing details but saying no oil leak had been detected.
„There were no reports of casualties“, the Dubai government press service said in a statement. It stressed that firefighters and rescue services were continuing to deal with the aftermath of the attack.
Earlier, Qatari television channel Al Jazeera, citing the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, reported that Iranian forces had hit a Kuwaiti tanker loaded with oil in the port of Dubai.
According to the International Maritime Organization, seven seafarers have died, nine have been injured and one is missing in the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the current escalation of tensions over Iran.