Oman says 23 crew members were rescued after Panama-flagged tanker ELGAIA caught fire following an incident near the Strait of Hormuz
MUSCAT, September 17, 2026 — AALIMI NATION: Two sailors remain missing after a Panama-flagged oil tanker caught fire following an incident near the Strait of Hormuz, while 23 other crew members were rescued, Omani authorities said.
Oman’s Maritime Security Centre said the tanker ELGAIA was being towed toward an Omani port after a fire broke out in its engine room. The vessel was reported to have been targeted approximately 1.3 nautical miles (2.4 km) north of the Musandam Peninsula.
An Omani naval vessel evacuated 23 crew members and provided assistance, while search operations continued for the two sailors who remained unaccounted for.
Iran Gives Different Account
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) offered a different explanation for the incident.
Iranian authorities said the tanker had entered what they described as a restricted and unsafe route and subsequently struck naval mines, causing the fire.
However, the U.S. military rejected the Iranian account.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the claim that the tanker had struck a naval mine was false. According to CENTCOM, the ELGAIA had previously been struck by an Iranian missile and was later hit by an Iranian drone while operating near Oman.
The competing accounts have not been independently resolved.
UK Maritime Authorities Report Projectile Strike
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) separately reported receiving information about a vessel being struck by an unidentified projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
The vessel was not identified in the UKMTO advisory, meaning it has not been independently established that the report referred to the ELGAIA.
The incident occurred amid a sharp decline in commercial shipping through the Strait, with heightened security concerns affecting one of the world's most important energy corridors.
Hormuz Under Growing Pressure
The latest incident comes as maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely reduced amid the wider regional conflict.
Reuters reported that only four commodity vessels crossed the waterway on Tuesday, compared with a 10-day average of 18. The figures may exclude vessels that switched off their tracking systems.
The Strait normally carries a substantial share of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, making any prolonged disruption a major concern for global energy markets.
Search Continues for Missing Crew
The immediate priority remains the search for the two missing ELGAIA crew members.
Omani authorities have not publicly established who was responsible for the incident, while Iran and the United States have presented conflicting accounts of how the tanker was damaged.
As the search operation continues, the ELGAIA incident has become another significant test for the safety of commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, where heightened military tensions are increasingly affecting international maritime traffic.
AALIMI NATION will continue to follow developments surrounding the missing crew members and the investigation into the incident.
