UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) issued Warning 147-26 after receiving a third-party report that a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz at 1750 UTC on October 1, resulting in a fire onboard. The crew was reported safe, though the extent of damage to the vessel and any environmental impact remained unknown as authorities continued to investigate. The advisory did not name the vessel, its owner, its flag or its cargo, and did not identify who fired the projectile or from where it was launched.
The strike extends a surge in attacks on commercial shipping in the strategic waterway, with September recording at least 16 attacks on vessels, primarily tankers, including four incidents within a single 24-hour period on September 28-29 involving the Kuwait Oil Tanker Co VLCC Al Funtas, the Sinokor VLCC Mersin Prosperity, the Anglo-Eastern managed VLCC Sinbad, and the ADNOC L&S owned LR2 product tanker Al Ruwais. The Joint Maritime Information Center’s latest assessment counted four confirmed attacks or disruptions in the Strait over the preceding 96 hours and maintained the regional threat level at SEVERE, while the risk and shrinking pool of available tonnage have pushed VLCC rates for Hormuz voyages above $1 million per day, with growing pressure from major crew-supplier nations the Philippines and India over mounting seafarer casualties.
Source: Seatrade Maritime News — https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/security/tanker-catches-fire-after-first-hormuz-attack-in-october
Tags: Strait of Hormuz, UKMTO, Tanker Attacks, Maritime Security
