Second tanker struck in Strait of Hormuz within a day

Summary

• An outbound tanker was damaged by an unidentified projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday.
• A second outbound tanker caught fire after a projectile hit its port side on Saturday evening.
• Neither notice identified who fired, leaving the world's most sensitive oil corridor under escalating attack.

The latest

An outbound tanker in the Strait of Hormuz was damaged by an unidentified projectile on Sunday, UK Maritime Trade Operations said, with all crew reported safe. It was the second such strike in under a day: a different outbound tanker caught fire on Saturday evening after a projectile hit its port side. Neither notice said who fired.

Details

• Sunday's strike: UK Maritime Trade Operations, the British agency that monitors commercial shipping incidents, said the outbound tanker sustained damage from an unidentified projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The agency said all crew members aboard were safe. It did not name the vessel, its operator or its destination.
• Saturday's strike: Reuters, citing the same agency, reported that a different outbound tanker caught fire on Saturday evening after a projectile struck its port side. That incident came less than a day before the second strike, giving two separate vessels hit on the same route within a single weekend.
• No attribution: Neither of the two notices issued by the agency identified who fired the projectiles, and no party was named as responsible for either attack. The agency described the projectiles only as unidentified, without specifying their type, origin or launch point.
• The crews: Crews on both vessels are safe, according to the agency's accounts of the two incidents. No casualties were reported in either strike, and the agency did not disclose the number of crew aboard either tanker or whether the damaged ships were able to continue their voyages.
• The chokepoint: Both tankers were outbound, meaning they were exiting the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that carries a large share of the world's seaborne oil. Traffic through the route has already been constrained for months before this weekend's strikes.
• Iran's blockade: Iran has largely blocked traffic through the energy corridor since its war with the United States began in February, and attacks on shipping in the area have recently picked up. The strikes on the two tankers fall within that escalating pattern.
• The pattern: Two strikes in under 24 hours mark a sharper tempo than the sporadic incidents reported earlier in the standoff. Both targets shared the same profile: outbound tankers transiting the strait, hit by projectiles whose source was not established in either case.

Background

The Strait of Hormuz is the sea passage linking the Gulf to open water and the primary export route for regional crude. Iran has largely blocked traffic through it since its war with the United States began in February, according to accounts of the corridor's status.

Between the lines

The two strikes share a profile worth noting: both hit outbound tankers, both involved projectiles the monitoring agency could not identify, and both left crews unharmed. With Iran already restricting the corridor since February and attacks picking up, the absence of any named party leaves shipping operators weighing risk on a route they cannot easily avoid.

What's next

Watch for further advisories from UK Maritime Trade Operations, any claim of responsibility, insurance and war-risk premium moves on Gulf transits, and whether shipping operators suspend outbound voyages through the strait.

Source: UK Maritime Trade Operations, Reuters, GMA Network