The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on April 6 it had received a report of a container vessel being hit with a missile 25 nautical miles south of Kish Island, Iran, in the Persian Gulf. During the incident, the container vessel was struck by an unknown projectile, causing damage above the waterline. The UKMTO said the crew are safe and accounted for. No environmental impact has been reported. Authorities are investigating.

The UKMTO’s office in Dubai was set up by the U.K.’s Royal Navy to coordinate and exchange information with merchant traffic in the Arabian Sea to help counter Somali piracy.  It acts as the primary point of contact for merchant ships to connect and liaison with military forces in the Arabian Sea, Red Sea and Persian Gulf.

We will update this story as more details are available.