Ship attacks in Strait of Hormuz hit record high since Iran war began
Ship strikes in and around the Strait of Hormuz have reached a record high this month, already surpassing attacks recorded during the entire month of March — at the height of the Iran war — according to maritime data.The latest attacks come as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz was “closed,” amid reports of at least five more tanker attacks in the previous 24 hours.“We maintain full control and intelligence oversight over the area east of the Strait of Hormuz, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman,” the IRGC said in a statement.The fresh wave of attacks included a tanker struck by a rocket-propelled grenade fired from a small boat — a type of attack not previously reported in the current wave of incidents, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).A supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil also caught fire Saturday.The IRGC claimed the vessel had struck a mine while traveling along an “unauthorized” route.
US Central Command, meanwhile, said vessels were being struck by projectiles and said it had demined the strait.Iran’s navy separately reported that an oil tanker had caught fire and become immobilized in the Gulf of Oman.Two other tankers attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz were attacked Friday, according to UKMTO.Over the past week that ended on Friday, 12 vessels were attacked, making it the largest number of weekly strikes reported to the UKMTO since the start of the war in Iran on Feb.
28.Ten of the attacks occurred in the Strait of Hormuz, one in the Persian Gulf and one in the Gulf of Oman.Eight of the vessels were oil tankers, and four were container ships.Of the attacks, one ship sunk, nine were reported damaged, three crew members were injured.
Another two people were reported missing, after a drone strike struck a Nicaragua-flagged vessel on Thursday.Six attacks over the past week occurred in a single day — Oct.11.The agency noted ...