Brief
Record number of ship attacks reported in Strait of Hormuz this month
At least 12 vessels were hit in a week, with a supertanker fire and a rocket‑propelled grenade strike marking a new escalation.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Maritime monitoring groups say the Strait of Hormuz saw a record number of ship attacks in October, exceeding the total recorded during the peak month of the Iran war in March, according to the New York Post.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned on Saturday that the strait was “closed,” while reports indicated five additional tanker attacks in the preceding 24 hours. The IRGC statement claimed full control and intelligence oversight over the area east of the strait, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman.
UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported a new type of assault: a tanker struck by a rocket‑propelled grenade fired from a small boat. A supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil also caught fire on Saturday; the IRGC said the vessel hit a mine while on an “unauthorized” route.
US Central Command said vessels were being hit by projectiles and that it had de‑mined the strait. Iran’s navy reported an oil tanker fire and immobilisation in the Gulf of Oman. Over the week ending Friday, UKMTO logged 12 attacks – the highest weekly total since the war began on Feb. 28. Ten attacks occurred in the Strait of Hormuz, one in the Persian Gulf and one in the Gulf of Oman.
Eight of the targeted vessels were oil tankers and four were container ships. One ship sank, nine were damaged, three crew members were injured and two people were reported missing after a drone strike hit a Nicaragua‑flagged vessel on Thursday. Six attacks were recorded on Oct. 11 alone, most near Oman’s coast, an alternate route the US has used to avoid Iranian strikes.
The IRGC’s navy warned that strikes would not be limited to the strait and announced a “new deployment formation” across the area, according to Iranian state media.
Key facts
- Maritime data show a record high of ship attacks in the Strait of Hormuz in October, surpassing the March peak of the Iran war. (nypost.com)
- UKMTO recorded 12 vessel attacks over the week ending Friday, the highest weekly total since the war began on Feb. 28. (nypost.com)
- Attacks included a tanker hit by a rocket‑propelled grenade, a supertanker fire, and a drone strike on a Nicaragua‑flagged vessel. (nypost.com)
- One ship sank, nine were damaged, three crew injured and two missing after the recent attacks. (nypost.com)
- IRGC warned the Strait of Hormuz was "closed" and announced a new deployment formation across the area. (nypost.com)
Sources
- [1] nypost.com — originally reported as “Ship attacks in Strait of Hormuz hit record high since Iran war began”
