In the early hours of 11 March 2026, three merchant vessels were struck by projectiles in the area of the Strait of Hormuz. The incidents involve a container ship near the coast of the United Arab Emirates, the bulk carrier Mayuree Naree, and a third cargo vessel hit on the Omani side of the Strait. Much of the information comes from alerts issued by UKMTO (United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations), the British coordination centre for the security of commercial shipping in the region, as well as from international agencies including Reuters and Associated Press.
The first documented incident occurred at 05.58 local time on 11 March. According to UKMTO, an unidentified container ship was hit by a “suspected but unknown projectile” about 25 nautical miles north-west of Ras al-Khaimah, in the northern United Arab Emirates. The impact caused damage to the hull, while the crew were reported safe and no injuries were recorded. Damage assessments were still under way in the hours following the attack.
The attack on the bulk carrier Mayuree Naree occurred within the same time window. The vessel, a 30,197 dwt bulk carrier controlled by the Thai shipowner Precious Shipping, was reportedly hit near the Strait of Hormuz in the early hours of 11 March. According to reconstructions cited in sector analyses reported by Argus Media and specialised maritime outlets, the ship sustained significant structural damage, among the most serious recorded during the day, although technical details have not been publicly released.
A third attack was reported shortly afterwards. At around 08.35 local time, UKMTO received a report of a cargo vessel hit by an “unknown projectile” in the northern waters of Oman, within the Strait of Hormuz. The impact triggered a fire on board. According to Associated Press and several media outlets citing British military sources, the crew were evacuated following the explosion and the blaze. In this case too, the name of the vessel was not disclosed in the first hours after the incident.
The wording used in the official alerts – “projectile” or “unknown projectile” – indicates that maritime authorities have not yet precisely determined the type of weapon used. Preliminary reports do not specify whether the attacks involved anti-ship missiles, rockets, drones or other types of strike systems, pending technical verification and intelligence analysis.
From a geographical perspective, the three incidents cover a broad stretch of the transit area leading to and through the Strait of Hormuz. The container ship struck near Ras al-Khaimah was in one of the northern approaches to the passage linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman. The cargo vessel that caught fire was located on the Omani side of the Strait, along the mandatory route leading towards the Indian Ocean. The Mayuree Naree is reported to have been hit near the same maritime corridor, although a more precise public position has not been released.
Alongside the attacks on commercial shipping, on 11 March US authorities announced that they had destroyed sixteen Iranian units engaged in mine-laying operations in waters near the Strait. According to Associated Press, these operations were aimed at deploying naval mines in order to hinder the transit of merchant vessels.
