Two supertankers carrying Saudi crude were struck by unknown projectiles within minutes of each other while sailing out of the Strait of Hormuz late on Monday, in the latest escalation of threats to shipping through the strategic waterway. The near-simultaneous incidents marked a further deterioration in the security environment in the Omani corridor, according to reports.
The Saudi Arabian-flagged very large crude carrier (VLCC) Sidr was struck by unknown projectiles at about 19:52 UTC, approximately 16.6 nautical miles north-east of Khasab, Oman. Minutes later, the Liberian-flagged VLCC Senegal Prosperity was reportedly hit by three unknown projectiles about 17 nautical miles east of Khasab.
All crew members aboard both vessels were reported safe. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre separately reported three projectiles striking a tanker in the same area as it sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz, apparently referring to the same incident.
The two tankers had each loaded about two million barrels of Saudi crude at the Juaymah terminal last week, according to data. Saudi Aramco resumed oil loadings and sales from inside the strait in August. The attacks come as Iranian and US blockades of the Strait of Hormuz have severely restricted energy exports from the Gulf, with both sides seeking to assert control over the vital shipping route.
Mediation efforts by Qatar and Oman to secure a deal to reopen the strait have so far failed to produce a breakthrough. Before the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran more than six months ago, the waterway carried roughly a fifth of global oil supplies. Oil prices rose on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump threatened further strikes against Iran, following the first exchanges of fire since late July.
In a further development, Iranian media reported earlier on Tuesday that a Saudi oil tanker had been stopped while transiting the southern corridor of the Strait of Hormuz.