Two more tankers were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, one in Hormuz and the other off the coast of Oman, Argus has reported, citing ship-tracking data and the Indian shipping minister.
One of the targets was a Suezmax loaded with Iraqi crude, which had set sail on October 8, the Indian top shipping official said. It was hit by an unknown projectile that caused fire on board and, at the time of writing, two sailors were still missing. The other tanker was a product carrier that was hit by a drone. That attack was reported earlier by the UK Maritime Trade Operations outlet.
“India reiterates the need for immediate de-escalation and a resolution to the ongoing conflict through dialogue and diplomacy,” New Delhi’s foreign ministry said. “Attacks on commercial vessels, seafarers and civilian infrastructure must cease. Freedom of navigation and the safe, unimpeded flow of maritime commerce through international waterways, in accordance with international law, must be upheld.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has stepped up attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz in the past couple of weeks, targeting vessels trying to transit the strait in dark mode, along a southern corridor near the coast of Oman.
The U.S. Navy is meanwhile striking Iranian-linked vessels, with the strikes heightening the already considerable shipping risk in the area. “All ships within the limits of the Strait of Hormuz that turn off their navigation and identification systems will be identified as hostile and will be dealt with severely and decisively,” the IRGC’s Navy forces said in a statement, as reported by Iranian state media.
The news of the latest attacks comes alongside a report about a so-called energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, announced by President Trump over the weekend. Neither of the warring parties has confirmed the ceasefire, and Axios has since reported that it is a narrower refinery-only ceasefire proposal, but the news has pressured oil prices. Brent was trading above $103 per barrel after the news, and WTI was over $90 per barrel.
By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com
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