British military says 'unknown projectile' strikes tanker entering the Strait of Hormuz as vessel traffic collapses

From the Newshound archive · first published 21 September 2026.

An unknown projectile has struck a tanker as it sailed into the Strait of Hormuz, the British military has confirmed, the latest incident in a waterway already choked by conflict. Just 12 commodity vessels transited the strait over the weekend, down from 35 the prior weekend, with shipping data showing traffic has dwindled to a fraction of the 125 large vessels that once passed through daily before the US-Israeli war with Iran began on 28 February. Saudi Arabia has been rerouting crude exports through the strait after Houthi attacks on the East-West pipeline forced a halt at Yanbu, allowing output to recover above four million barrels per day after plunging to the lowest level since 2013.

Middle Eastern producers are keeping some oil moving by sailing tankers with their transponders switched off to avoid detection.

Saudi Arabia accounts for half of the crude now exiting the strait, with Iraq supplying a further 35% of volumes, according to Kpler data.

Analysts warn oil is still flowing but at sharply higher cost, with the Hormuz "shuttle" system adding risk premiums that ripple through global energy prices.