UKMTO reports burning ship off Oman as Iran says three tankers hit mines

A burning vessel reported off Oman

The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre (UKMTO), which is linked to the British Royal Navy, confirmed an incident involving a burning ship in the Strait of Hormuz off Oman on Thursday, 29 October. The alert came on Thursday morning and placed the vessel 9 nautical miles north of Khasab, after the captain of another ship reported seeing a vessel on fire. Nothing is known yet about the crew, and no assessment of damage or environmental impact was available when the agency issued its statement. UKMTO asked ships to proceed with caution and to report any suspicious activity in the area. The statement did not say what caused the blaze.

Iran's mine claim

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said in its own statement that three tankers had exploded and caught fire after hitting mines while using a route it described as unauthorized. The Guards said the ships had been trying to use a route south of the strait, had switched off their radar and navigation systems, and had ignored warnings. In the same statement, they said they had seized a US reconnaissance drone in the area. The origin of the cargo and the flags of the vessels were not specified. It remains unclear whether the burning ship reported by UKMTO is one of the three tankers the Guards described.

Escalation and the war backdrop

Before the Middle East war, which began in late February after US and Israeli strikes on Iran, about a fifth of the world's hydrocarbon shipments passed through the strait. Since then, Tehran has claimed control of the waterway and regularly targets vessels that pass without its permission, while Washington has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and escorts tankers. On Wednesday, 28 October, Iran warned Israel that a new attack in the region would have a "devastating impact" on international energy markets, after a rise in Israeli threats against Tehran in the days before 28 October. Iran had already been attacked by Israel in June 2025, and then by the United States and Israel in late February 2026. The timeline below sets out these milestones and the events of Thursday.

Oil flows and attacks on shipping

A Kpler analysis reported by DPA said oil exports through the strait had averaged 82% of their pre-war level, while exports of refined products such as petrol reached only about 44%. Another Kpler-based report said oil exports through the waterway fell again in the week before 29 October. According to the US think tank Washington Institute for Near East Policy, attacks on ships in the strait are at their highest level since the war began. The US Navy, which enforces its own blockade of Iranian vessels, has escorted tankers through the strait, including near the spot where the fire was sighted.

Oil exports82

Refined products44

Oil exports

82 % of pre-war level

Refined products

44 % of pre-war level

Data from the article text

Claims that remain unverified

Iranian media reporting carried further claims. The Tasnim news agency, citing the IRGC, said a new, advanced air defense system had brought down another US drone east of the strait. The same report said Iran's armed forces had destroyed 14 drones of this type and more than 50 MQ-9 Reaper drones since the war began. These claims have not been independently verified. At the time of the reports, the fate of the crew of the burning ship and the extent of any damage remained unknown.