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Ship hit by missile in Gulf of Oman, link between Hormuz Strait and Arabian Sea, near Pakistan: Report
Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova believed to have been hit when sailing some 71 nautical miles off Pakistan's coast
A container ship was hit by a missile in the Gulf of Oman, off the coast of Pakistan, news agency Reuters reported on Tuesday citing maritime security sources.
The Gulf of Oman borders the southwestern coast of Pakistan, and links the Arabian Sea to the Strait of Hormuz, serving as a critical maritime and strategic waterway near key Pakistani ports like Gwadar.
The Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova was believed to have been hit when sailing some 71 nautical miles off Pakistan's coast, British maritime risk management group Vanguard and a maritime security source said separately to news agency Reuters.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that on August 11, 2026, at 0715 UTC, it received a report of an “incident involving a container ship and military forces” in the Gulf of Oman. The British agency did not identify the military force involved, the vessel's name or flag, or the nature of the incident, and said authorities are aware and that investigations are ongoing. It advised vessels to remain alert to the evolving security situation in the region.
The UKMTO, run out of Bahrain, monitors and issues security advisories for commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman, and the wider Indian Ocean region.
Elsewhere in the region, at least three crew members were killed after a deck cargo ship was attacked by Yemen’s Iran-aligned rebel group the Houthis in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea. Among those killed are two Pakistanis and an Indonesian national, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Maritime security sources told Reuters a cargo ship was believed to have been targeted in the Red Sea.
More details awaited
