Tugboat Struck by Two Projectiles off UAE’s Khor Fakkan

A tugboat was hit by two unidentified projectiles northeast of Khor Fakkan on October 18, 2026. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency confirmed the incident. One crew member suffered a minor injury. The tugboat sustained damage but continued its route.

UKMTO issued a caution advisory and said authorities were investigating. No party has claimed responsibility. The type and origin of the projectiles were not disclosed, and the name and flag of the tugboat were not released.

Khor Fakkan sits on the Gulf of Oman coast of the UAE, just east of the Strait of Hormuz. The port is a major transshipment hub used by container lines on routes between Asia and Europe and between Asia and the Middle East. Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd relaunched their Asia-Middle East service in mid-October with Khor Fakkan as a port of call. Attacks on vessels in the wider area have been frequent. A tanker was struck near Al Jubail the previous day, and a small boat opened fire on an LNG tanker in the Gulf of Aden the same morning. MT On Peace, a Panama-flagged tanker, was struck in the Strait of Hormuz with twelve crew injured.

Two seafarers went missing the previous week after a drone struck a tanker off Oman; they had not been found as of the latest reports.