Two new maritime security warnings have heightened concerns over commercial shipping in the Middle East after a tanker was disabled by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz and another vessel was reportedly seen on fire in the northern Persian Gulf. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Monday that a tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile while leaving the Strait of Hormuz on 23 October.
The impact disabled the vessel, but all crew members were reported safe. The tanker’s identity, the extent of the damage and any potential environmental impact remain unknown. In a separate report, UKMTO said a vessel was reportedly on fire about 63 nautical miles south-east of Al-Faw, Iraq.
Its identity, the crew’s condition and the cause of the fire have yet to be established. The incidents come as the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) maintains a “severe” threat level for the Strait of Hormuz, warning that further deliberate attacks are highly likely.
It has classified the wider Persian Gulf threat as “substantial”, citing five attacks since 7 October. JMIC has recorded 156 confirmed maritime security incidents across the region since 1 March. It also reported that an LPG tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile near Limah, Oman, on 22 October.
Shipping through the Strait remains heavily disrupted, with JMIC reporting 101 US-facilitated vessel transits between 22 and 24 October, against a historical average of about 138 vessels daily before the US/Israel-Iran war which broke out on February 28.