18 Attacks Since October 6: Hormuz Tanker Strikes Spread Into Gulf

Eighteen confirmed attacks on commercial shipping since October 6 — that is the count the Joint Maritime Information Center posted on November 1 for the Strait of Hormuz, and two more incidents followed within hours. A tanker was struck by two unidentified projectiles in the Persian Gulf at 2347 UTC on Sunday, roughly 72 nautical miles east of Ras Al Khaimah... no — east of Ras Al Khafji, Saudi Arabia, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations.

The vessel was heading southeast when both projectiles hit its port side. All crew members were accounted for. No environmental damage was reported. UKMTO named neither the ship nor the extent of the damage — a gap that matters for underwriters and operators trying to price risk on the lane.

Earlier the same day, at 1509 UTC, the master of a merchant vessel in the Strait of Hormuz reported receiving a Mayday call over VHF Channel 16 from another ship reportedly struck by an unknown projectile. UKMTO issued Warning 191-26 for that incident. The vessel's identity, the damage and the crew's condition all remain unknown.

What happened to the crews?

The human toll is concrete. The Royal Navy of Oman confirmed on Friday it had evacuated 25 crew members from the Panama-flagged tanker RITI after the vessel was attacked and caught fire near the Musandam Peninsula. The operation ran in coordination with Oman's Maritime Security Centre; the rescued seafarers received medical care.

The JMIC advisory of November 1 places the RITI strike on October 29, while the tanker transited outbound through the Strait near Khasab, Oman. An unidentified projectile caused a small fire and — more serious for any operator — loss of propulsion. A dead tanker in Hormuz traffic is a salvage case and a collision risk, not just a war-risk claim.

The same advisory identifies a second tanker, LOUISE 1, attacked on October 29 about 25 nautical miles northeast of Khasab. In that case a small boat approached the tanker and attached two explosive devices to the hull above the waterline. The explosions triggered an engine-room fire and temporarily disabled the vessel. The crew was reported safe, and the tanker resumed its voyage.

A third tanker, the VLCC ARZANAH, was struck by an unidentified projectile while transiting outbound through the Strait on October 28. The vessel sustained damage; its crew was reported safe.

Why does the LNG carrier hit matter?

The violence has now reached beyond the Strait itself, into the Arabian Gulf — and into the LNG fleet. Qatar's state-owned carrier Nakilat confirmed its LNG carrier AL MAYEDA was struck by unidentified objects while transiting the Gulf on October 30. JMIC placed the attack roughly 40 nautical miles south of Iran's Lavan Island and reported a fire onboard.

Nakilat said there were no injuries and no environmental damage, and that the vessel remained safe and operational. Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a November 1 statement, strongly condemned the attack, calling it "a serious threat to maritime navigation and global energy security." Qatar reserved the right to take necessary measures under international law to protect its ships and crews, and warned of the environmental consequences of targeting energy carriers for the Gulf's marine environment and regional water security.

For charterers and energy traders, the significance is straightforward: attacks are no longer confined to the chokepoint's narrow corridor but extend to the export artery for Qatari LNG.

How bad is the traffic disruption?

JMIC maintained its SEVERE threat assessment for the Strait, warning that further deliberate attacks were highly likely. Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps activity, the center said, continues to include surveillance, UAV overflights, radio hailing and pressure on merchant vessels to use Iranian-controlled transit routes.

Traffic figures tell their own story. JMIC recorded 119 U.S.-facilitated transits between October 29 and 31, while approximately 490 vessels were waiting outside the Strait of Hormuz as of November 1. Commercial traffic remains significantly below prewar levels, even with U.S. naval forces coordinating movements through the waterway.

The pattern — tankers and LNG carriers hit both inside the Strait and deeper in the Arabian Gulf — suggests the threat cannot be managed by transit escorts alone. With no attribution yet for any of the projectile strikes, and with JMIC expecting more attacks rather than fewer, operators on the Gulf's energy lanes face a risk premium that shows no sign of easing.