Three Liberian-flagged oil tankers were hit by unidentified missiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to maritime intelligence service Marisks.
The vessels were reportedly sailing through the strategic waterway with their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders switched off in an apparent effort to avoid detection, Marisks said in a late report.
One of the vessels, the oil tanker Al Ruwais, was last observed conducting a ship-to-ship transfer near Sohar, Oman, in late September to offload its oil cargo, according to data from analytics firm Kpler.
Kpler data also showed that the very large crude carrier (VLCC) Mersin Prosperity conducted a ship-to-ship transfer near Sohar in mid-September, transferring around 2 million barrels of Iraqi Basrah crude to another vessel.
The Aframax tanker Sinbad, meanwhile, loaded refined petroleum products at Saudi Arabia’s Jubail Industrial Port in early September, according to the available shipping data.
No further details were immediately available on the extent of the damage, possible casualties or the origin of the missiles.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global energy transit route connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Any attack on commercial shipping in the waterway could have implications for regional maritime security and international oil markets.
