Adds vessel name in paragraph 1, operator in paragraph 3
One of the vessels that came under attack in the vicinity of the strait of Hormuz early on 11 March was the 30,197 dwt Mayuree Naree, shipping sources said.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) received a report of an incident 11 miles north of Oman in the strait of Hormuz at 08:35 local time (04:35 GMT), which said a cargo vessel was "hit by an unknown projectile in the strait of Hormuz, which has resulted in a fire onboard."
The crew members were being removed from the vessel, the UKMTO said.
The vessel's controller is Precious Shipping, according to Kpler.
A separate alert by the UKMTO earlier said a container vessel was hit by a suspected but unknown projectile 25 miles northwest of Ras al-Khaimah, the northernmost of the UAE's seven emirates at 05:58 local time (01:58 GMT). A container vessel "sustained damage" the extent of which is currently under investigation by members of the crew, who are all safe.
These are just the latest in a spate of attacks on vessels in the Mideast Gulf since the US and Israel carried out strikes on Iran on 28 February. Iran has responded by launching missile and drone attacks against a range of targets in neighboring Arab Gulf countries, including logistical and energy-related facilities.
The retaliatory strikes against its neighbours have also effectively halted shipping through the Mideast Gulf and the strait of Hormuz ꟷ the waterway through which 14mn bl of crude and 6mn bl of refined products transited daily before the war began.
US energy secretary Chris Wright said on 8 March that ship traffic through the waterway should begin moving again soon.
"We're not too long away, I think, before you'll see more regular resumption of ship traffic through the strait of Hormuz," Wright told CNN. While it may take some time for normal traffic to resume "worst case, that's a few weeks, not months."
