A projectile hit a tanker off the coast of the east coast of the United Arab Emirates, causing a fire and leaving the captain missing, officials and maritime monitors said Thursday.The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a naval monitor, said it received a report at 2300 GMT on Wednesday that "a vessel has been hit by an unknown projectile which has resulted in a fire on board" off the UAE port of Khor Fakkan in the Gulf of Oman.
At a meeting of the International Maritime Organization in London later on Thursday, the delegate from Palau identified the vessel as a chemical tanker flagged to that country, the Parimal.
He said 15 crew members were rescued by a Cook Islands-flagged tanker.
"However, the master is missing," he added.
Marine intelligence journal Lloyd's List said the Parimal was part of the "shadow fleet" of unregulated vessels under international sanctions.
Iranian forces have blocked the nearby Strait of Hormuz, a crucial trade route for oil and gas as part of the Middle East war.
