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Oman’s Maritime Security Centre announced on September 15, 2026 that the Panama-flagged oil tanker El Gaia was being towed to an Omani port after a fire erupted in its engine room during an attack in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the centre, a Royal Navy of Oman vessel evacuated 23 crew members and provided them with medical care while search operations continued for the two missing sailors. The centre placed the incident about 103 nautical miles northeast of Musandam, where the tanker came under fire before the crew abandoned ship.[[1]](https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-908664)
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported that a vessel was struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, leading to a fire on board. British maritime security firm Vanguard Tech separately confirmed that a Panama-flagged tanker had been hit that day with the Omani navy involved in crew evacuation. The UKMTO noted no immediate damage or environmental impact from the projectile while monitoring the critical waterway.[[2]](https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/oman-says-its-searching-for-two-crew-members-after-tanker-hit/)
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed the tanker caught fire after hitting naval mines in what they described as a restricted and unsafe route through the strait. US Central Command dismissed the Iranian account as false, stating instead that the El Gaia had been struck by an Iranian missile the previous month and then by a drone over the weekend. “The IRGC’s false claim is yet another example of their lies and intimidation attempts while they try to impede commercial vessels in the strait,” Central Command stated in a post on X.[[1]](https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-908664)
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said 13 of the 14 Indian nationals among the crew had been rescued while search and rescue operations continued for the one missing Indian seafarer. The ministry condemned the attack on commercial shipping as unacceptable and thanked Omani authorities for their support in evacuating the crew. The Indian embassy in Oman has coordinated directly with local officials to assist in locating the missing national, according to the MEA.[[3]](https://www.firstpost.com/world/el-gaia-tanker-attack-mea-says-1-indian-remains-missing-rescue-ops-on-oman-tows-vessel-to-port-14046122.html)
The incident adds to a series of strikes in the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel’s war with Iran began at the end of February 2026. The International Maritime Organization has documented at least 22 seafarer deaths in 79 confirmed incidents across the strait and broader Middle East region during the conflict. A July attack on two Emirati oil tankers involving Iranian cruise missiles killed one Indian crew member and wounded eight others, a Reuters dispatch from that period showed.[[4]](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/uae-says-two-tankers-hit-by-iranian-cruise-missiles-strait-hormuz-one-crew-2026-07-13/)
The strait, which carries roughly one fifth of global oil and gas shipments, has seen commercial traffic severely disrupted by repeated Iranian attacks on vessels and the US naval blockade of Iranian ports. Omani forces have conducted multiple rescue operations in response to such incidents over recent months, according to regional maritime reports. Earlier this year, US strikes disabled several noncompliant ships attempting to reach Iranian ports in enforcement of the blockade, a New York Times account from June detailed.
