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A projectile caused an explosion "in close proximity" to a ship off the coast of Sharjah, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre said on Sunday.
The incident took place about 15 nautical miles north of the emirate, the UKMTO said, without identifying the bulk carrier or giving further details. All crew were reported to be safe.
It is the latest in a series of attacks on ships in or near the Strait of Hormuz since the Iran war broke out on February 28. On March 11, three vessels in the strait were hit by projectiles, with one strike causing a fire that forced the crew to evacuate.
About a fifth of the world's oil flows is normally carried through the strait, but the waterway has come to a near-standstill since the US and Israel began strikes on Iran. Fewer than 100 vessels have been able to pass since the war began, causing oil prices to surge. Before the conflict, about 135 ships sailed through the strait each day.
On Saturday, the UAE and signatories from more than 20 other countries called for Iran to cease its attacks on vessels travelling through the strait, saying safe passage was enshrined in international law, state news agency Wam reported.
The UAE issued the statement alongside the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, Denmark, Latvia, Slovenia, Estonia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, Romania, Bahrain, Lithuania and Australia.
"We condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas installations, and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces," the statement said.
"We express our deep concern about the escalating conflict. We call on Iran to cease immediately its threats, laying of mines, drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block the strait to commercial shipping, and to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2817."
