Vessel on Fire off Al-Faw as Gulf Attacks Mount

A vessel caught fire in the northern Persian Gulf on Monday about 63 nautical miles southeast of the Iraqi port of Al-Faw, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported in Warning No. 183-26.

The UKMTO warning, issued after multiple third-party reports, left the vessel unidentified and its crew status unknown. The cause of the fire had not been established, and the agency classified the incident as "suspicious activity" rather than a confirmed attack while authorities investigate.

The warning arrived on the same day UKMTO separately confirmed the October 23 disabling of a tanker by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz. Monday's fire follows attacks on tankers near Al-Faw and the Basrah anchorage in the days prior and comes days after the tanker Al Dasma caught fire and went adrift west of Bukha in a cluster of three Gulf incidents on a single day.

The Joint Maritime Information Center, in an October 25 advisory, kept the Strait of Hormuz threat at SEVERE and the broader Persian Gulf at SUBSTANTIAL. JMIC recorded five attacks inside the Gulf since October 7, targeting vessels near anchorages and ship-to-ship transfer areas, and warned that further deliberate attacks were highly likely. October has brought attacks at a record pace for the region, outpacing every prior month since the Strait closure began.

MarineRadar data showed 182 devices tracking the Gulf of Oman and the Strait entrance over the 48 hours to this posting. Global attention to the waterway has stayed elevated as the attack campaign pushes further north into the Gulf.