The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre has issued four late warnings over attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on 28 and 29 September, adding to growing concerns over maritime security in the strategic waterway. The first report, published late, said a vessel was struck by an unknown projectile on 28 September, triggering a fire onboard that was subsequently extinguished.
The crew were reported safe. The International Maritime Organization’s list of confirmed attacks in the region now records a 28 September incident involving the VLCC Al Funtas in the Strait of Hormuz, reporting damage to the vessel but no pollution. The tanker is owned and operated by Kuwait Oil Tanker Company.
Despite confirming that the vessel was struck, the UKMTO initially classified the incident as suspicious activity rather than an attack. Three further UKMTO reports were published on 30 September concerning incidents that occurred on 29 September, all involving vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
The first concerned a crude oil tanker struck on its port side. The vessel was identified as the 2008-built VLCC Mersin Prosperity. Equasis data shows that the tanker is managed by ADNOC. A second incident involved an inbound tanker, known as Sinbad, that was struck by an unknown projectile, while the third report involved an LNG tanker named Al Ruwais struck by an unknown projectile.
All four incidents took place within the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important shipping routes. The string of late UKMTO reports is unusual and comes after Iranian claims that 19 vessels were attacked on 25 and 26 September. The emergence of the delayed reports underscores the difficulty of establishing a comprehensive and timely account of maritime attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, particularly amid heightened tensions and competing claims over incidents involving commercial shipping.