A salvage operation had been initiated and a tugboat with firefighting equipment was on its way, one of the maritime security sources said, adding that most of the vessel’s crew were in a lifeboat and were safe.
A liquefied natural gas tanker, which was struck off the coast of Oman on July 31, was the last ship to have been damaged in the area, according to data from the UN’s shipping agency.
Iran has halted most traffic through Hormuz while Washington maintains a blockade of Iranian shipping and ports, disrupting a corridor that normally carries about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
(Reporting by Jonathan Saul and Renee Maltezou; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Ros Russell)