Three Tankers Struck by Unknown Projectiles in Strait of Hormuz

Three oil tankers were struck by unknown projectiles while navigating the Strait of Hormuz this week, according to shipping intelligence and security firms. The incidents occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday when three Liberia-flagged tankers were transiting the Strait. The tankers, which had their transponders turned off, included the oil products tanker Al Ruwais, the very large crude carrier VLCC Mersin Prosperity, and the Aframax-sized tanker Sinbad.

Sinbad had recently loaded refined products in Saudi Arabia's Jubail industrial port in early September, as per Kpler data analyzed by Reuters. UKMTO, a Royal Navy-sponsored organization, had received three separate time-late third-party reports of attacks on tankers transiting the Strait. One incident involved a vessel that was hit by a suspected unknown projectile, resulting in a fire.

The vessel's crew was safely evacuated, and the fire has since been extinguished. UKMTO's reports suggest that operational risks remain despite claims that oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz have recovered nearly or even fully to pre-war levels.