Two more commercial vessels have come under attack in and around the Strait of Hormuz, with two crew members suffering minor injuries in one of the incidents, as the United States says commercial traffic through the strategic waterway has continued in significant numbers.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that a tanker making an inbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz was struck by an unknown projectile on 21 September.
“Two crew have sustained minor injuries and the vessel is reported to be continuing to its next port of call under its own power,” the UKMTO warning said. No environmental impact had been reported at the time.
According to maritime security company Vanguard Tech, the vessel involved was La Stephanie. The closest matching vessel in Pole Star Global’s database is the 72,825-dwt LR Stephanie, an Isle of Man-flagged tanker operated by Universal Tankers of Greece.
The vessel’s last reported AIS position, recorded eight hours before the report, showed it sailing north from Khor Fakkan in the Gulf of Oman towards the Strait of Hormuz.
ADNOC-operated LPG tanker also targeted
A second incident had already been reported on 20 September, involving the Liberian-flagged LPG tanker Al Maryah.
Indian media reported that the vessel had been hit by a drone while sailing outside the Strait of Hormuz. Reports citing India’s Directorate of Maritime Administration said the tanker suffered no major damage and was safely anchored at Khor Fakkan.
All 19 crew members were reportedly safe, including nine Indian nationals.
According to Pole Star Global’s database, the beneficial owner and operator of Al Maryah is ADNOC L&S.
The two latest incidents add to a series of attacks on commercial shipping in the area. Three attacks were reported on 17 and 18 September, including an incident involving a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker in which the vessel’s hull was breached and a fire broke out on board.
The fire was subsequently extinguished and all crew members were reported safe.
US claims thousands of commercial transits
The latest attacks come as the United States continues to report substantial commercial shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz.
Adm Bradley Cooper, commander of US Central Command, said in a video released on 19 September that US forces had assisted more than 2,000 commercial vessel transits through the Strait in recent months.
He also said US forces had supported the movement of more than 1 billion barrels of oil out of the Gulf during the last couple of months.
However, figures from different tracking sources continue to show a significant discrepancy over the actual level of traffic.
The latest update from the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) highlighted a divergence between figures reported by the US Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS) and those provided by commercial tracking organisations.
“Independent tracking data indicated suppression with single-digit numbers transiting in both directions, while US NCAGS data indicated traffic flows averaging over 30 vessel transits per day for the last 72 hours,” JMIC said.
The contrasting figures underline the difficulty of establishing the precise level of commercial traffic through the Strait as attacks on vessels continue to raise security concerns around one of the world’s most strategically important maritime routes.
