London, Sept. 13 (SANA)A fire broke out aboard acommercial vesselafter it was struck by an unidentified projectile while transiting theStrait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Sunday.UKMTO said it received an initial report of the incident at 2300 GMT on Saturday, adding that the condition of the crew, the extent of damage to the vessel and any possible environmental impact remained unknown.In an update posted on the X platform, the maritime authority said a fire had broken out aboard the vessel following the incident and that local authorities had arrived at the scene to assist in evacuating crew members.

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UKMTO urged vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity while authorities continue their investigation into the incident.The maritime authority did not disclose the vessel’s name, type or flag, and the exact location of the incident within the strait was not specified.The incident comes as commercial maritime traffic through the strategic waterway has declined sharply.Preliminary vessel-tracking data showed that seven ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, compared with 11 the previous day, and below the average of about 15 ships per day over the previous 10 days.More than 130 ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz daily before the outbreak of the wider conflict in the Middle East, according to available shipping data.UKMTO reported a similar incident on August 18, when a commercial vessel was struck by an unidentified projectile while leaving the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in injuries.