The number of damaged oil shipments in the Strait of Hormuz has reached six. These incidents began on Sunday and have recently continued with new reports. The UK Maritime Trade Operations announced on Friday that a tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz was hit by an unknown projectile.
Details of Recent Attacks
This incident occurred at 1122 UTC, causing a small fire and power outage on the ship. The fire was quickly extinguished, and the tanker was able to continue its passage. Fortunately, no casualties or environmental damage have been reported.
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Authorities are investigating this incident, which is known as warning 148-26 from UKMTO. However, the identity of the damaged tanker and the assailant has not yet been determined.
Increasing Concerns in the Strait of Hormuz
This new attack has added to an increasing list of attacks in the Strait of Hormuz in recent days. On Thursday, UKMTO reported another attack on a different tanker passing through the strait. This incident also caused a fire, but fortunately, the crew was safe, and no further details about damages or environmental impacts are available.
These incidents began on Sunday and Monday, only being reported to the public with a delay. UKMTO initially reported an incident on Sunday in which a vessel was hit by a suspicious projectile, causing a fire that was later extinguished. The crew was safe, and the ship continued its journey. This case was classified as “suspicious activity.”
Three other tanker attacks that occurred on Monday were identified on Wednesday through separate warnings from UKMTO that were released with a delay. In each of these cases, the tankers were damaged due to being hit by unknown projectiles. Little information about damages or casualties has been provided, and this delay in information release has raised concerns about the speed of obtaining information regarding incidents in this strait.
In total, considering the reported attacks on Thursday and Friday, the number of damaged tankers since Sunday, September 28, has reached at least six. These incidents have raised increasing concerns about the safety of shipping and maritime trade in the Strait of Hormuz.
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