Three tankers struck in Strait of Hormuz, one catches fire

Three tankers were struck by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. One vessel caught fire off the coast of Oman after being hit, and two other tankers were also struck, including one damaged by a drone. No injuries were reported. At least one of the ships continued on its way.

The strikes were the most in a single day in the strait since late April, according to International Maritime Organization figures, and the maritime crisis has already produced 51 confirmed incidents as of July 7 and 14 seafarer deaths. About 20,000 civilian seafarers remain trapped in the region or otherwise unable to leave, according to the IMO. Earlier attacks hit a cargo vessel on May 5, when it was struck by an unknown projectile, and on June 27, when another tanker took bridge damage from an unidentified projectile and all crew were safe.

Traffic through the waterway had been shifting even before the latest strikes. Commercial movement was increasing along both the southern Omani corridor and the northern Iranian-controlled route, with U.S.-assisted transits continuing despite the elevated threat environment and recurring GNSS interference. The Strait of Hormuz is a global chokepoint, and in peacetime roughly a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passes through it.

Iranian state television said the liquefied natural gas tanker had come under attack after ignoring warnings, while U.S. officials were assessing the possibility of Iranian missile fire against commercial vessels. Qatar publicly condemned an Iranian attack on one of its LNG tankers, and the damaged Saudi-flagged crude tanker was possibly the supertanker Wedyan, while the LNG tanker Al Rekayyat sent out distress signals after being hit on its port side.

Brent crude rose to about $73.85 a barrel and U.S. crude also gained. The IMO will begin implementing an evacuation plan for more than 11,000 seafarers still stranded in the region.