Three Tankers Hit in Strait of Hormuz as Oil Flows Recover: Unidentified projectiles struck three Liberian-flagged oil tankers as they transited the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, underscoring the persistent risk amid recovering global oil flows.
Shipping intelligence firm Marisks identified the vessels as the product tanker Al Ruwais, the very large crude carrier (VLCC) Mersin Prosperity and the Aframax Sinbad. Reuters reported the vessels were traveling with their automatic identification system (AIS) transponders “turned off to avoid detection.”
U.S. Air Force Maj. Melanie “Mach” Kluesner, pilot of the F-35A Demonstration Team, performs aerial maneuvers at the Sun ‘n Fun Airshow in Lakeland, Florida, April 4, 2025. The demonstration team showcases the skill and precision U.S. Air Force pilots and aircraft are capable of. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nicholas Rupiper)
U.S. Air Force Maj. Kristin “BEO” Wolfe, F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team commander and pilot, flies during a demonstration rehearsal at Hill Air Force Utah, April 28, 2021. The F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team is part of the first operational F-35A wing for the Air Force, the 388th Fighter Wing, and flies over the Hill Air Force Base runway to practice and prepare for upcoming air shows around the world. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Kip Sumner)
Three Ships Hit
All three tankers have appeared in recent Gulf oil shipments. According to Kpler information seen by Reuters, Al Ruwais had discharged diesel via a ship-to-ship transfer off Sohar, Oman, in late September.
Mersin Prosperity had used the same region in mid-September to transfer 2 million barrels of Iraqi Basrah crude to another vessel, while Sinbad had loaded refined products at Saudi Arabia’s Jubail industrial port earlier in the month.
ADNOC Logistics & Services, which oversees Al Ruwais and Mersin Prosperity, declined to comment to Reuters. Anglo-Eastern Tanker Management, the manager of Sinbad, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Tuesday incidents were the latest in a series, with the UK’s Maritime Trade Operations issuing four delayed reports about attacks on Sept. 28 and 29. The first incident, involving the Kuwaiti VLCC Al Funtas, saw an unknown projectile strike the vessel. It started a fire that was later extinguished, and UKMTO later affirmed that the crew was “safe.”
Damage Unclear
In addition, three more delayed UKMTO reports on incidents on Sept. 29 identified vessels via maritime risk analytics firm Vanguard.
The firm said: “The extent of damage to the three vessels remains unclear at current.”
The threat has not abated despite increased traffic, Lloyd’s List Intelligence said in a Wednesday note, citing the Joint Maritime Information Center’s (JMIC) assessment that the risk of deliberate hostile action against commercial vessels was “highly likely.”
A current U.S. Maritime Administration advisory also says “risks of Iranian attacks against commercial shipping remain high” in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman.
The International Maritime Organization said in a Sept. 16 statement that it had verified 80 attacks on merchant vessels in and around Hormuz since the conflict began, with at least 22 seafarers killed. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez has said that the ongoing conflicts should not be used “to attack innocent seafarers.”
Crude Shipments Climb
Kpler estimated Middle Eastern crude exports at an average of 16.328 million barrels per day in September. These are the highest figures since the conflict broke out in February. About 9.719 million barrels per day were expected to transit the Strait of Hormuz. The firm said Middle Eastern exports stood at “just under 80% of pre-conflict levels.”
Lloyd’s List Intelligence reached a similar assessment of shipping movements. The firm said September was “on track to be the busiest month since the conflict started, outside of the Memorandum of Understanding period.” Its monthly tally counted at least 379 non-Iranian-linked voyages across the strait last month.
JPMorgan analysts said that “the Middle East’s oil export arteries are flowing again” in a note released on Monday. They said the region’s oil exports are recovering, a “remarkable recovery for a region still at war.” The firm estimates that crude oil flows have since dramatically rebounded to 17.5 million daily barrels, around 98% of prewar levels.
Separately, Goldman Sachs reported that Gulf oil exports, including vessels with tracking devices turned off, rose to about 23.3 million barrels a day in the final week of September.
CENTCOM Continues Ushering Commercial Vessels
CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper told reporters last month that the United States has protected more than 2,000 commercial vessels, and more than 1 billion barrels of crude oil have departed the Gulf. “Clearly, momentum is building,” he said, adding that the “primary transit lanes in the strait are clear of mines.”
So is there any chance the conflict will abate soon? When asked yesterday about a potential deal with Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump said, “We have to make that decision. We blow them up or make a deal. The time is coming. It’s gonna end very soon,” the U.S. president told reporters at the White House.
About the Author: Georgia Gilholy
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
