UK Maritime center confirms vessel struck in Strait of Hormuz as Saudi pipeline shuts down

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre reported on Sunday that a ship suffered a strike in the Strait of Hormuz following an attack by an unknown projectile late Saturday. A fire broke out onboard, and local authorities were evacuating crew members as Ebrahim Azizi, head of Iran's national security committee, dismissed diplomatic hopes, stating negotiations are futile without meeting Iranian terms. Tehran is instead seeking security cooperation through a Monday meeting in Muscat with Gulf nations to formalize an Iran-Oman shipping route. This regional effort occurs after the United States and Israel began striking Iranian targets on February 28, which led Iran to block the strait that previously carried one-fifth of global oil supplies. The incident adds pressure to already strained energy infrastructure; Saudi Arabia has temporarily closed its East-West pipeline, reducing a key alternative export route. That corridor normally transported 4 million barrels of crude daily. Analysts warn these disruptions threaten Thailand's energy resilience and corporate margins, while the removal of spare Gulf logistical capacity coincides with existing market shortages.