Reports of ships being targeted in Hormuz are at record levels
Author, Joshua Cheatham
Role, BBC fact-finding unit
Author, Thomas Copeland
And
Author, Alison Benjamin
Role, BBC Verify
Published 3 minutes ago
Reading time: 4 minutes
An analysis conducted by a fact-finding unit of data from a British maritime agency showed that the number of ships reporting attacks in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz reached a record level.
Twelve ships in the region were attacked from October 5 to 11, the largest number of attacks reported to UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran. The previous week had witnessed 10 ships reporting attacks.
According to the British Maritime Trade Agency, six ships were hit last Sunday, the highest daily number ever since the outbreak of the conflict. The agency also received four reports this week.
Amid this record increase in attacks on ships in the Hormuz city area, the recovery witnessed by oil shipments through the strait slowed last month, according to sector data.
The Fact-Finding Unit collected incident reports published on the agency's website and established a chronology based on the first date reported in each report. What has been reached remains an estimate because some incidents are recorded on the date of the attack, while others are recorded on the date it was reported.
Experts say that Tehran is launching attacks on ships in an attempt to impose greater control over this vital waterway at a time when the number of oil tankers escorted by the US military through the southern part of the strait has increased to avoid Iranian attacks.
Iran is also carrying out more attacks on ships located farther away from the Strait of Hormuz, according to experts.
The US Central Command (Centcom), which is responsible for operations in the Middle East, posted on social media that “commercial shipping traffic is still continuing through the Strait of Hormuz” despite the attacks, “in coordination with protection provided by US forces and their regional partners.”
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Two tankers were targeted by unknown projectiles near the Strait of Hormuz and Oman, and the Group of Seven agrees to pump oil reserves
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Verified footage showed the aftermath of one of the six attacks reported last Sunday, which showed the Nicaraguan-flagged oil tanker Petro Dolphin in flames, as well as images of crew members on a smaller boat near the tanker.
The ship was attacked by a drone near the Sohar docking area in the Sultanate of Oman, more than 250 kilometers from the strait, according to the marine information services company “Vanguard.”
The Advanced Seafarers' Union of India said that 11 Indian sailors were rescued, while two are still missing.
The attacks continued this week, as the container ship "GFS Pride" sank after being hit by an unknown projectile in the strait last Tuesday. All 21 crew members were evacuated safely.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard published footage of what appeared to be the ship itself as it sank. He said it was transporting “2,500 containers of smuggled goods” and that it had taken an “unauthorized route.”
Oil shipments falter
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Oil exports from the Middle East have slowed as the number of attacks on ships rises.
Data from the trade information company Kpler show that about 12.6 million barrels per day crossed the Strait on October 13, a lower level than the 15 million barrels per day recorded at the end of September, compared to the pre-war average of about 17 million barrels per day.
The recent increase in the number of attacks comes at a time when US Navy data indicates that the number of ships that received assistance to cross the Strait of Hormuz during the first 10 days of October increased by 85 percent compared to the same period in August.
Most of the oil recently shipped from the Gulf states was transported using the “shuttle tanker” system, where a group of tankers load the oil and sail through the strait before transferring their cargo to larger tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
These tankers use a route close to the Omani coast. Iran says this route is “unauthorised” and insists that ships take an alternative route closer to its shores.
Assisted crossings were a major factor in pushing oil flows from the Middle East back to near pre-war levels in September. This does not include Iranian exports, which have completely stopped as a result of the US blockade on Iranian ports and ships.
Martin Kelly, CEO of Orbital Risk Intelligence, said that Iran “developed its strategy” in response to this decline in its ability to control the strait, and began carrying out “almost daily attacks or multiple attacks every day.”
How much do oil tankers need to reach their final destinations?
He added: "The goal here is to prevent ships from crossing and deter other ships."
