Two oil supertankers have been hit by unknown projectiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz outbound from the Persian Gulf, maritime risk management firm Marisks said on Tuesday, as tensions in the Middle East flared up again this week and put the tentative oil flow recovery at risk.
The Sidr very large crude carrier (VLCC), operated by Saudi Arabia’s state shipping giant Bahri, was hit by unknown projectiles northeast of Khasab, Oman, Marisks said, as carried by Bloomberg.
The other supertanker that was hit was the Senegal Prosperity, operated by South Korea’s tanker fleet giant Sinokor, which was also attempting to exit the Persian Gulf near Oman, per the advisory by Marisks cited by Bloomberg.
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Early on Tuesday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a Royal Navy-sponsored organization, warned of an incident late on Monday. UKMTO said it had received a report of an incident 17 nautical miles east of Khasab, Oman. A tanker has reported being struck by 3 unknown projectiles whilst completing an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz. No casualties or environmental impact has been reported, UKMTO said.
In the apparent re-escalation in the region, Iran on Monday said that a supertanker caught fire after hitting two naval mines in the southern Strait of Hormuz.
The tanker was trying to transit the Strait illegally, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement carried by Iranian media without identifying the vessel or its crew.
Other vessels that attempt to violate IRGC’s security rules would face the same fate, Iran said. Complying with Iranian regulations for crossing the Strait of Hormuz is mandatory, the Guards added.
Reports of supertankers hit by projectiles near Oman’s side of the Strait of Hormuz come as the U.S. and Iran on Monday exchanged fire for the first time in over a month.
Oil prices rose for a second consecutive day on Tuesday, with Brent nearing $92 a barrel in Asian trade, as the market grows concerned that the re-escalation is putting at risk the tentative recovery of oil flows from the Middle East.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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