Ship off UAE Coast Hijacked, Detected Sailing to Iranian Waters

A ship off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), or near the Strait of Hormuz, has reportedly been hijacked by unknown individuals. The vessel is now detected sailing towards Iranian waters.

The incident, as reported by AFP on Thursday (14/5/2026), was announced by the British maritime agency, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), on Thursday (14/5) local time.

The UKMTO report stated that the ship was “hijacked by unauthorised personnel while anchored” in waters 70 kilometres northeast of Fujairah, UAE.

“It is now sailing towards Iranian territorial waters,” UKMTO said in its statement.

UKMTO provided no further details on the name, country of origin, or type of the hijacked ship.

The situation in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters, including the Gulf, has heated up since the war erupted between Iran and the United States (US) and Israel at the end of February.

Several ships have been attacked while in or near these strategic waterways as Tehran and Washington continue blockade actions to vie for control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has blocked transit activities across the Strait of Hormuz – which is normally traversed by one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas shipments – during the ongoing war. The US has responded by imposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports, although a fragile ceasefire has been in place since 8 April.

On Sunday (10/5) local time, South Korea (South Korea) reported that one of its cargo ships was hit by a mysterious drone in the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, Qatar reported that one of its cargo ships, arriving in its waters after sailing from Abu Dhabi, UAE, was struck by a drone.