LONDON, July 12– A container ship sustained damage and caught fire following an incident off the coast of Oman, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said late Saturday.
The UKMTO said it received a report of the incident about 16.7 km east of the Gulf country at 2240 GMT Saturday.
“Military authorities have reported that a container ship has sustained damage to the rear of the vessel, which has caused a fire onboard,” the advisory said, adding that authorities were investigating the incident.
The UKMTO did not disclose the name of the vessel.
Separately, the U.S. Central Command said that the GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship, was attacked by Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps when transiting the Strait of Hormuz, leaving a crew member missing.
The vessel was unable to continue its journey due to an onboard fire and significant damage to its engine room, the command added.
According to maritime tracking data, the GFS Galaxy measures about 304 meters in length overall and 40 meters in width, and was last reported in the Persian Gulf two days ago.
The incident occurred amid heightened tensions in waters around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints linking the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
