ADNOC tanker hit in UAE waters as IMO chief demands SOLAS enforcement in Hormuz
A second tanker was struck off Lima, Oman, and Iran claims more mine strikes on what it calls unauthorised routes
ADNOC Logistics & Services has confirmed that one of its ships was damaged in an attack inside the UAE's territorial waters in the Arabian Gulf on the afternoon of Tuesday 10 November. The Abu Dhabi group's shipping arm did not name the vessel or say how badly it was damaged or whether anyone was hurt, and asked the public to avoid circulating rumours or unverified information. Response operations were under way.
On the same day the UK Maritime Trade Operations centre (UKMTO) reported a tanker struck by an unidentified projectile 19 nautical miles northeast of Lima, Oman, at 1338 GMT, on the opposite side of the strait from the ADNOC casualty. The crew was safe, no pollution was seen, and the master planned a full damage assessment at first light.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy claimed that tankers had caught fire after hitting mines in the eastern part of the strait while using what Tehran calls an unauthorised route, blaming damage to American coastal radar and navigation systems for the added danger. Iran gave no ship names, casualty figures or evidence.
What happened over the weekend?
The latest strikes follow a violent weekend around the Musandam Peninsula, the Omani exclave whose main port is Khasab. Video verified on Sunday showed a tanker managed by Navig8, which is majority owned by ADNOC Logistics & Services, on fire near the Omani coast, and Iranian state broadcaster IRIB said it was one of three tankers hit that day. Oil from damaged ships has since reached Omani shores, and satellite images show spills off Oman and the UAE.
Iranian claims that navigation aids on Didamar Island had been struck remain unconfirmed. The Omani island, mid-channel north of Musandam, hosts the Hormuz Control Centre run by the Royal Navy of Oman, a lighthouse, a Channel 16 radio relay tower and a radar on a 25-metre mast. A senior Omani official has said the aids were not hit, and satellite imagery from the morning of 10 November shows no obvious damage.
What is the IMO asking for?
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez on Wednesday called on flag, port and coastal states to enforce the SOLAS convention and other IMO rules in the strait, citing substandard ships, vessels hiding their IMO numbers and ships operating under fraudulent registrations or false flags. "IMO's technical and operational regulations are there to protect seafarers, ships and the marine environment. They must be respected and enforced effectively," he said.
"I strongly urge shipowners and operators to refrain from commercial activities in the Strait that expose seafarers to unacceptable risks," Dominguez added. The IMO had confirmed 133 incidents in the region as of 10 November, with 25 seafarers killed, and 37 ships were attacked in October alone, the highest monthly total of the war in figures kept by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 12 November 2026.
