Oman says tanker hit in Strait of Hormuz, search ongoing for two crew members

[Editor's Note: Follow Khaleej Times live blog for the latest regional developments amid the US-Iran war.]

Oman on Tuesday said it was searching for two missing crew members who were aboard a tanker targeted in the Strait of Hormuz that was now being towed.

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Vessels in the vital strait have come under repeated attacks as Tehran seeks to maintain a stranglehold on the waterway in its war with the United States. Washington has also kept up a counterblockade of Iranian ports.

The Omani Maritime Security Centre said it was overseeing a towing operation for the Panama-flagged oil tanker ELGAIA to a port in Oman after a fire was extinguished in its engine room following an attack northeast of Musandam.

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The centre, which is affiliated with Oman's ministry of defence, added in a statement on X that "a Royal Navy of Oman vessel evacuated 23 crew members from the tanker and provided them with the necessary medical care".  A search continues for two crew members who remain missing, it added.

Oman did not say when the ship was attacked.

However, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a marine monitor, said a vessel had been on fire on Saturday after it was struck by an "unknown projectile" in the Strait of Hormuz.

British maritime security firm Vanguard Tech also reported that a Panama-flagged tanker had been struck that day and that the Omani navy was evacuating the crew.