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The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) has recorded at least 10 vessels attacked in or near the Strait of Hormuz since last Sunday, the highest weekly count since the Iran war began in February, CBS News reported on Saturday. The agency counted 23 attacks since the start of October, nearly double the average.
UKMTO said it is "struggling to accurately report" the true number, because most ships no longer report incidents. One ship sank during the week. Most attacks since early July have taken place off Oman, where the US military has been escorting vessels at risk.
On Friday, UKMTO reported two attacks off Al Jubayl, Saudi Arabia. One tanker was struck by an unknown projectile. A second was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade fired from a small boat, which damaged its aft port quarter. Crews were safe in both cases, and no group has claimed responsibility, according to Fox News.
The ship that sank was the GFS Pride, a Singapore-flagged, Cyprus-owned container ship. US Central Command (CENTCOM) says an Iranian projectile hit it on Wednesday. A fire broke out on board, and the vessel went down while being towed ashore.
CENTCOM spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said the vast majority of Iran's attempted attacks in the strait fail. He estimated that about 97 percent of ships seeking transit got through without being hit, and said the strait remains open. CENTCOM also said US forces have redirected 138 commercial vessels while enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday that a supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude hit a mine in the strait and caught fire. They said the ship had transited with US support and switched off its tracking systems. CBS noted that the claim has not been independently verified.
The pace has built through the month. Seatrade Maritime reported on October 2 that a Kuwait-flagged tanker, the Kazimah III, caught fire after a strike on October 1. The outlet counted at least 16 attacks on vessels in the strait during September, mostly on tankers.
Attacks are not limited to the strait. On Saturday, a skiff carrying seven people approached an LNG tanker 140 nautical miles southwest of Al Mukalla, Yemen, and fired two shots. The tanker's armed security team fired two warning shots, and the skiff changed course. UKMTO reported no damage.
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