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Record Attacks on Ships in Strait of Hormuz Trap Thousands

Updated 12:14 AM ET · 2:17 AM ETConfirmed

World Desk

In Short: Record attacks on ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz have trapped thousands of sailors, with oil shipments slowing.

The number of ships attacked in and around the Strait of Hormuz has hit a record high, according to BBC Verify analysis of data from a UK maritime agency. Twelve vessels were attacked between 5 and 11 October, the largest number of weekly strikes reported since the US-Israeli war with Iran began.

A tanker was struck by multiple projectiles north of Qatar on October 8, more than 500km from the strait, resulting in multiple reported casualties, according to maritime intelligence firm Vanguard. Another vessel was hit by a drone near Sohar Anchorage, Oman, over 250km from the strait.

The attacks have escalated since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran in late February. Before the conflict, the strait typically handled about 125 large commercial vessels a day, accounting for about 20 percent of global crude and liquefied natural gas supplies.

Oil shipments through the strait have slowed, with 12.6 million barrels per day transiting on October 13, down from 15 million at the end of September. The attacks have raised concerns about maritime safety and global energy supplies.

A Singapore-flagged container ship sank after being struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the strait, according to Singaporean authorities. One seafarer was killed when the Cape Dao's bridge and accommodation area were hit by an unknown projectile as it transited through the strait on September 23.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards have continued their campaign of attacking vessels and exploiting incidents to assert control over the strait. Iran has offered the US a deal to reopen the strait and restore normal maritime traffic within seven days if certain conditions are met.

However, a US official told the BBC that Washington was “in a very strong position with control of the Strait of Hormuz” and was therefore “not in a rush.” The US and Iran are in a standoff over control of the strait.

The attacks have also impacted shipping far from the region. Container shipping is facing an escalating threat in the strait, which can impact shippers globally.

Satellite imagery from September 27 showed almost 10 million barrels being loaded across Yanbu and the nearby Al Muajjiz terminal as Saudi Arabia stepped up use of its Red Sea outlet to reduce reliance on Hormuz.

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, warned that if military confrontation continued, Iran's response would be stronger than before, and it would defend itself with even more force.

Maritime security firm Vanguard Tech identified the latest Hormuz casualty as the Kuwait-flagged Kazimah III, which was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the strait on October 8.

The attacks have trapped thousands of sailors and raised concerns about the safety of international waterways, with the kingdom stressing the importance of guaranteeing the protection of freedom of navigation in all international waterways, foremost among them the Strait of Hormuz.

What this adds

Background

What's confirmed

• Offers Another 17 Million SPR Barrels as Fuel Crisis Deepens What I Cover Tsvetana Paraskova is an energy and commodities journalist who has contributed to Oilprice.com for nearly a decade, covering global energy markets, commodities,… Three oil tankers have been hit by unknown projectiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz this week, shipping intelligence and security companies say.

What's still developing

• It said the vessel was carrying "2,500 containers of contraband" and had taken an "unauthorised route".
• The warning also came amid reports that 24 ships had been attacked on the waterway over roughly two weeks, underscoring growing concerns about maritime safety in the region, according to Financial Times.
• "And we have seen this in several parts of the world where Channel 16, that should not be used for this kind of communication, starts receiving messages that may be perceived as actually threatening or that are outside the remit of why it was created."
• FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live.
• Three Liberia-flagged tankers with their transponders switched off were transiting the Strait on Tuesday and Wednesday when they were hit by projectiles, shipping intelligence firm Marisks says, as carried by Reuters on Thursday.
• Since the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran in late February, Tehran has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while its Houthi allies in Yemen have subsequently done the same in the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
• Navigation in the Hormuz Strait remains unsafe amid U.S-Iran war (Photo: Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA/via WANA) An oil tanker caught fire after being struck by an unidentified projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, the the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on Oct. 1.
• Initial reports of the maritime incident were transmitted by a third party at approximately 5:50 p.m.
• Iranian attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz have reached their highest level over the past week since the start of US military action against the country, Reuters reports.
• In particular, India's Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday that 12 crew members were injured in an attack on the Panama-flagged oil tanker On Peace as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz.

Sources

• BBClink
• Fox Newslink
• FreightWaveslink
• Oilpricelink
• Timesofisraellink
• Al Jazeeralink
• BBClink
• Englishlink
• Englishlink
• Thevibeslink
• Splash247link
• Newsukrainelink
• Dailysabahlink
• Maritime-Executivelink
• WarpBeat — background on US and Iran Clash Over Strait of Hormuz Control Amid Attacks link
• WarpBeat — background on Iran Reports Ship Sinking After Mine Strike in Strait of Hormuz link
• Terrain of Power — video link