Three oil tankers were struck by unidentified projectiles while passing through the Strait of Hormuz, adding to growing security fears around one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints.
The three Liberian-flagged vessels were hit Tuesday while transiting the narrow waterway, according to shipping intelligence service Marisks.
The tankers had reportedly switched off their Automatic Identification System transponders in an effort to avoid detection while traveling through the increasingly dangerous region.
The vessels were identified as the Al Ruwais, Mersin Prosperity and Sinbad.
No attacker was immediately identified, and the available reporting did not establish who fired the projectiles.
The Al Ruwais, an oil products tanker, was last seen conducting a ship-to-ship transfer off Sohar, Oman, in late September, according to data from energy analytics firm Kpler.
The transfer was used to discharge the vessel’s diesel cargo.
The Mersin Prosperity, a very large crude carrier, also conducted a ship-to-ship transfer off Sohar in mid-September.
Kpler data showed the vessel transferred roughly 2 million barrels of Iraqi Basrah crude onto another ship.
The Sinbad, an Aframax-sized tanker, had loaded refined petroleum products at Saudi Arabia‘s Jubail industrial port earlier in September.
ADNOC Logistics & Services, which manages the Al Ruwais and Mersin Prosperity, declined to comment on the incidents.
Anglo-Eastern Tanker Management, which manages the Sinbad, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
RELATED: ‘HIGHLY LIKELY’: US Ally Issues Major Warning On Strait Of Hormuz
The latest strikes come as commercial shipping faces heightened risks across the Strait of Hormuz, where vessels have increasingly dealt with projectile attacks, electronic interference and other security threats.
The strait is a critical artery for global energy markets, connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and providing a route for massive volumes of oil and liquefied natural gas exports.
Shipping companies have taken increasingly aggressive precautions while navigating the area, including shutting down AIS transponders in an effort to make vessels more difficult to track.
Tuesday’s incidents also followed another reported tanker attack in the strait one day earlier, underscoring the deteriorating security environment facing commercial crews operating in the region.
Despite the latest attacks, the three vessels were not immediately reported to have suffered major damage, and no casualties were initially reported.
The strikes nevertheless mark another serious warning for international shipping as unidentified attackers continue targeting vessels moving through the strategic waterway.
POLL: Do You Approve Of Secretary Of War Pete Hegseth?
Continue reading...
[ H/T Trending Politics ]
