According to maritime security'sources' and United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), at least three container ships were hit by gunfire on Wednesday in the Strait?of?Hormuz.

Iran has placed restrictions on the use of the Strait by ships, initially in retaliation to the U.S. and Israeli bombardment of Iran, then in response a U.S. ban of Iranian ports.

After being struck by rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire northeast of Oman, a Liberia flagged container ship suffered damage to its bridge.

The?UKMTO reported that the master of the ship had stated to the IRGC that a gunboat was approaching the vessel. The vessel was then fired at, according to the report. The incident did not cause any environmental or fire damage.

Three people were aboard the gunboat, according to maritime security sources. The captain of the Greek container ship reported that there had not been any radio contact prior to the incident, and that the vessel was initially told that it was allowed to transit the Strait of Hormuz. Later, the UKMTO?said a second vessel was fired on about eight nautical mile west of Iran. The Panama-flagged vessel was not damaged, and the crew is safe.

Sources in maritime security said that a third ship, a container vessel, was shot at while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz?outbound. The Liberia flagged vessel, which was not damaged, had stopped in water. The sources said that the crew is safe.

Before the conflict began on February 28, the waterway handled about one-fifth the world's supply of oil and LNG. Reporting by Jana Choukeir and Jonathan Saul; Writing by Renee Maltezou, Editing by Kim Coghill & Toby Chopra

(source: Reuters)