Container ship catches fire off Oman coast hours after US strike; British crew escapes on lifeboat

UKMTO said the damaged vessel was located east of Oman and confirmed that the crew had safely evacuated.

A commercial container ship caught fire off the coast of Oman after sustaining damage on Saturday, prompting its crew to abandon the vessel, as tensions in the Strait of Hormuz escalated sharply after a fresh round of US military strikes on Iran.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the damaged vessel was located east of Oman and confirmed that the crew had safely evacuated.“UKMTO has been informed by military authorities and the CSO of the vessel that the crew have abandoned the vessel and are currently embarked in a lifeboat,” the British maritime agency said.The incident came hours after the United States launched a third round of strikes against Iran, accusing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of attacking the Cyprus-flagged container ship M/V GFS Galaxy while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz.According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the vessel suffered significant engine room damage after the attack, an onboard fire broke out, and one civilian crew member remains missing.“At 7:15 p.m. ET today, US Central Command forces began launching the third round of strikes this week against Iran after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces blatantly attacked M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said.The US military said Iran had been given an opportunity to demonstrate compliance with the Memorandum of Understanding reached after previous attacks on commercial shipping but had “again failed.”“In response, the United States is imposing a heavy cost by continuing to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the strait. The strikes are being carried out at the direction of the Commander in Chief,” CENTCOM added.Responding to the military’s announcement on X, US War Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote, “Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay.”The latest strikes followed Iran’s announcement earlier in the day that it was closing the Strait of Hormuz “until further notice,” a move that significantly raises the risk of a wider regional confrontation and threatens one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes.According to Iran’s state-run Press TV, the IRGC said the strategic waterway would remain closed until the United States ends what it described as its “interference” in West Asia.In a statement, the IRGC said the decision had been taken “in light of the security situation resulting from the unlawful intervention of foreign powers,” adding that no vessel would be permitted to transit the Strait of Hormuz until further notice.