Middle East & North Africa
Hormuz: tanker hit by an unknown projectile off Oman – the IRGC claims three tankers struck mines, but offers no verifiable evidence
The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre reported a tanker hit by an unknown projectile west of Bukha, Oman, in the early hours of October 21. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claim three tankers hit mines, but their statements name no ships and cannot be verified, gCaptain notes.
A tanker was hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz in the early hours of Wednesday, October 21, according to a warning from the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre. The incident took place at 01:45 UTC, 11 nautical miles west of Bukha, on Oman’s Musandam peninsula. According to local authorities, the projectile caused a fire, which was extinguished, and the vessel is now at anchor. All crew members are safe and no environmental impact was reported.
In a second warning, UKMTO reported with a delay that the master of another tanker said the ship was hit by an unknown projectile on the evening of Tuesday, October 20, at 18:30 UTC, 30 nautical miles south-east of Al Faw, Iraq. The crew is safe and there is no damage. UKMTO advises vessels to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity while the authorities investigate.
On Tuesday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed in two statements that a total of three tankers hit mines. In the first, published by Tasnim, they said two “non-compliant tankers” caught fire and were immobilised after striking mines laid by their naval unit in an “unauthorised transit” south of the strait. They warned that if the American “disorder” continues, oil companies “will pay a heavier price”. The second spoke of a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude that “exploded and caught fire”.
Neither statement named the ships, their flag or any casualties, or gave details that can be independently verified, gCaptain notes. The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) had answered a similar claim of October 17 on October 18 that there was “no corroboration”. In October Iran had also attributed the sinking of the cargo ship GFS Pride to a mine, but JMIC and CENTCOM attributed the strike to a projectile. After a similar Iranian claim in August, CENTCOM replied that “no ship has struck a mine in the Strait of Hormuz”, describing the announcement as an attempt to intimidate commercial shipping through disinformation. JMIC keeps the threat level for the strait at “severe” and warns of possible attempts to lay mines.
The new incidents come after the Revolutionary Guards’ claim that they shot down an American MQ-9 over the strait, and amid continuing clashes inside Iran. Earlier on Wednesday, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that in the Strait of Hormuz “Iran is making navigation dangerous and expensive” and that freedom of navigation must be restored without tolls or fees.
