The Royal Navy-led United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre has published a public notice of an attack on a tanker linked to third-party reports.
The attack reportedly occured while the tanker was transiting the Strait of Hormuz, and involved an ’unknown projectile’ strike. It took place on 1 October, according to UKMTO.
“UKMTO has received a third-party report of a tanker being stuck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in a fire. Crew have been reported safe,” the maritime service said.
Greece-based maritime security firm Marisks named the vessel as Kuwait Oil Tanker Company owned, managed and operated Kazimah III and said the strike caused a fire and evacuation.
“The impact caused a fire onboard. All crew members were reported safe and were subsequently evacuated from the vessel,” Marisks said.
Shipping database Equasis also lists the tanker under ownership and management of KOTC.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-linked state news agency Fars posted on its Telegram channel that an ’offending supertanker had been struck and was on fire.
“Local sources reported that a 2.5 million barrel supertanker traveling through the Strait of Hormuz illegally was hit 8 km off the coast of Oman and is burning,” Fars said.
The attack is the second reported on a KOTC VLCC in four days, after a Kuwaiti-owned very large crude carrier (VLCC) was hit by a projectile on 28 September while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, breaking a brief lull in attacks on merchant shipping in the strait.
The 1 October attack is the fifth reported on a tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz since 28 September.
The sixth may have occurred on 2 October, with UK-based maritime security firm Ambrey Intelligence reporting a strike on an unnamed Panama-flagged tanker.
“A Panama-flagged tanker was impacted by a projectile while conducting an inbound transit through the Strait of Hormuz, 5.3 NM north-northwest of Kumzar, Oman. Ambrey reviewed imagery of the aftermath of the impact which showed plumes of smoke emitting from the vessel’s rear. No injuries or environmental damage were reported in connection with the incident. At the time of writing, the extent of damage to the vessel had not been disclosed,” the firm said.
On 30 September, maritime security organisations reported a Trio of Liberia-flagged tankers attacked in Strait of Hormuz.
UK-based Vanguard Tech named the vessels Liberia-flagged Mersin Prosperity, Sinbad and Al Ruwais.
“Crude oil tanker Mersin Prosperity was struck on its port side, while Sinbad was struck while conducting an inbound transit. The tanker Al Ruwais was also struck by an unknown projectile,” Vanguard said.
Shipping’s Equasis database links the three tankers to the United Arab Emirates, with management by Chesworth DMCC and Adnoc Logistics & Services, respectively.
Analysts have been indicating that crude exports via the US-assisted southern, Omani route through the Strait of Hormuz have been increasing.
UK-Israeli maritime intelligence firm Windward AI analyst Michelle Wiese Bockmann said in a LinkedIn post in September that “Windward calculates that… crude (minus Iran) volumes through Hormuz were equivalent to 45%-50% pre-war levels in August and rising steadily in September”.