Two more tankers were hit while passing through the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in two crew members getting injured. This adds to a series of attacks on commercial vessels in this important waterway.
On Monday, UK Maritime Trade Operations reported that a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while sailing through the strait. Although two crew members sustained minor injuries, the ship remained operational and continued to its next destination. There were no reports of environmental damage.
Not long after, another warning was issued for an LPG tanker heading out of the strait. The captain reported that debris from unknown projectiles hit the vessel. All crew members were safe, and there was no environmental impact reported, so the tanker continued its journey.
Authorities are currently looking into both incidents.
These recent events add to a noticeable rise in attacks reported by UKMTO in the past week. A Joint Maritime Information Center notice released on Sunday detailed three attacks in the Strait between September 16 and September 18, including one tanker hit by a projectile that damaged its hull and caused a fire.
This brings the total to at least five reported attacks or security incidents involving tankers in the strait since September 16.
The JMIC continues to label the threat level in the Strait of Hormuz as SEVERE, indicating that deliberate hostile actions are considered "highly likely" under the current situation. The center noted that attacks and harassment by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, along with UAV overflights and surveillance of merchant ships, have continued.
However, UKMTO has not blamed either of Monday's attacks on any specific group and referred to the projectiles used as unknown.
These new attacks come as commercial shipping traffic through the Strait remains significantly lower than usual.
Only 17 commodity vessels were visible in the strait over the weekend, a drop from 37 the previous week, and compared to about 125 vessels per day before the conflict began, according to Kpler data reported by Reuters. These numbers do not account for ships that have their AIS transponders turned off.
JMIC has pointed out the discrepancy between visible traffic and actual shipping movements. Independent tracking has shown single-digit transits in both directions on certain days, while data from the U.S. Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping suggested an average of over 30 vessels per day in the 72 hours leading up to Sunday.