Three oil tankers have been hit by unknown projectiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz this week, shipping intelligence and security companies say.
Three Liberia-flagged tankers with their transponders switched off were transiting the Strait on Tuesday and Wednesday when they were hit by projectiles, shipping intelligence firm Marisks says, as carried by Reuters on Thursday.
Earlier this week, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a Royal Navy-sponsored organization, warned it had received three separate time-late third-party reports of attacks on tankers while they were transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
In one of these, a vessel was struck by a suspected unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Monday evening, resulting in a fire. The fire has since been extinguished and the vessel is underway, with crew all safe.
Another time-late report UKMTO has received was of an incident within the Strait of Hormuz. A verified source has reported that a tanker transiting inbound has been struck by an unknown projectile.
The third time-late report to UKMTO was of an incident within the Strait of Hormuz. A verified source has reported that a tanker has been struck by an unknown projectile.
According to Marisks and other shipping intelligence firms, the tankers were oil products tanker Al Ruwais and the very large crude carrier (VLCC) Mersin Prosperity, both managed by ADNOC Logistics & Services of the United Arab Emirates, as well as the Aframax-sized tanker Sinbad, managed by Anglo-Eastern Tanker Management.
Sinbad has loaded refined products at Saudi Arabia’s Jubail industrial port in the Persian Gulf in early September, according to Kpler data reviewed by Reuters.
These time-late reports of attacks come as various analysts and investment banks claim oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz have recovered nearly or even fully to pre-war levels. Despite the estimates that more oil is moving through the chokepoint, operational risks remain and the Strait is not as open to traffic as many believe.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
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