On Monday, UK Maritime Trade Operations reported five incidents involving commercial ships in or near the Strait of Hormuz. This included four tanker attacks and a threat made by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) against another vessel.
Three of the attack reports were from October 3 and 4, while the most recent attack occurred on Monday afternoon. The number of reports highlights both the ongoing violence and the challenges of getting real-time information from the Strait.
The latest report, known as UKMTO 156-26, was documented at 1637 UTC on Monday. The captain of a tanker reported that an unknown projectile struck the ship while it was passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The strike caused a fire in the engine room, which the crew was working to control at the time of the UKMTO warning. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries or environmental damage.
This incident followed four other reports related to attacks in Hormuz that were issued earlier on Monday.
Two of these reports were delayed notices from October 4. The UKMTO indicated that an inbound LPG tanker was hit by an unknown projectile at 1716 UTC, and less than two hours later, a crude oil tanker was struck at 1907 UTC.
In another delayed report from October 3, a crude oil tanker was hit above the waterline by an unknown projectile. The UKMTO did not specify the time of this incident, leaving it unclear if this was a new attack or related to a previously reported one.
Additionally, on Monday, an inbound tanker about 11 nautical miles north of Khasab, Oman, reported that the IRGC hailed it and ordered it to turn back or face being targeted. The captain complied with the order.
Overall, UKMTO reported four attacks and one direct threat against commercial shipping in the Hormuz area on Monday, though three of the attacks occurred in the preceding days.
These reports follow a period of increased violence in the Strait.
The Joint Maritime Information Center stated in an update on October 4 that there were four confirmed tanker attacks between October 2 and 3, all involving strikes from unknown projectiles on vessels in the Hormuz region. They noted that attacks continued along the Omani side of the Strait.
One tanker reported a drone entering its funnel and dropping into the engine room, leading to a small fire and a temporary power loss. Another tanker was struck on its side and briefly lost power before proceeding toward Fujairah with the help of tugboats. A third tanker lost propulsion after being hit by another projectile.
CENTCOM Reports 130 Ships Redirected
The increase in attack reports coincided with U.S. Central Command's announcement of new figures related to the enforcement of the U.S. naval blockade against Iran.
CENTCOM stated that U.S. forces redirected the 130th commercial vessel on October 5 as part of actions against ships trying to enter or leave Iranian ports. The blockade resumed on July 14.
The command mentioned that American forces had disabled three vessels that did not comply and had destroyed 13 commercial ships in the past 12 weeks, claiming these were either violating the blockade or part of the IRGC’s operations.
“The U.S. military remains focused on this mission,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM. “We will take swift action against any vessels attempting to run the blockade.”
CENTCOM urged mariners operating in the Gulf of Oman and the approaches to the Strait of Hormuz to monitor the Notice to Mariners broadcasts and to contact U.S. naval forces on VHF Channel 16.
The blockade is aimed at vessels trying to enter or exit Iranian ports, while neutral commercial traffic through the Strait is still allowed.
Monday's surge in incident reports suggests that the recent rise in attacks is ongoing, while the delayed notifications highlight that the full extent of the violence may only become apparent hours or days after incidents occur.