A cargo vessel was set ablaze in the Strait of Hormuz in the early hours of Wednesday after being hit by an unknown projectile, British maritime authorities said.

March 11 (UPI) -- A cargo vessel was set ablaze in the Strait of Hormuz in the early hours of Wednesday after being hit by an unknown projectile, British maritime authorities said.

The Royal Navy's Maritime Trade Operations center said in an alert that the vessel had issued an SOS and the crew were evacuating after it was struck about 11 nautical miles north of Oman's Musandam Peninsula.

UKMTO said the incident had been reported to it by a "company security officer."

"Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO while authorities continue to investigate," the center added.

The report did not state the type of cargo vessel but the BBC named it as the Thai-flagged container ship, Mayuree Naree, along with pictures of thick black smoke billowing from the deck.

Thai authorities said a rescue effort by the Oman Navy was underway and had rescued 20 of 23 crew so far.

The Mayuree Naree was en route from Khalifa Port in the UAE when it was attacked, the Thai Navy said.

UKMTO issued warnings regarding attacks on two other commercial vessels off the coast of the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.

The master of a bulk carrier called in being hit by an unknown projectile in the Persian Gulf, 50 nautical miles northwest of Dubai, just after 6 a.m. local time. No one was hurt and there was no report of any environmental impact.

In the second incident, the master of a container vessel, also northwest of the UAE, reported "sustaining damage from a suspected but unknown projectile," but confirmed that all crew members were safe and accounted for. The extent of the damage had yet to be determined and was being investigated by the crew.

The first of these was the Marshall Islands-flagged Star Gwyneth, while the second was the Japan-flagged One Majesty, both of which sustained damage to their hulls, with One Majesty reported to be limping its way to a safe harbor, according to the BBC.

Wednesday's incidents bring to 13 the number of confirmed attacks on vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the United States and Israel launched their airborne offensive against Iran on Feb. 28.

Iran has responded by bringing to a virtual standstill shipping using the narrow waterway through which around 20% of the world's oil and gas is exported from Gulf producers to global markets.

U.S. Central Command said Tuesday that it had sunk a significant number of Iranian vessels near the strait, including 16 that were laying mines in the shipping lane.

"Iran's rapid and extensive retaliation against shipping and regional energy, port and economic infrastructure has severed a vital artery in global supply chains, as the flow of oil, refined products, LNG and chemicals grinds to a near halt," Verisk Maplecroft's Middle East analyst Torbjorn Soltvedt wrote in a note.

"Additional attacks against ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz overnight underscore that Iran still presents a very real threat to shipping," he said.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly raised the prospect of using the U.S. Navy to provide safe passage to shipping through the strait but the White House was forced Tuesday to deny claims by Energy Secretary Chris Wright that the first naval escort had taken place.