Two Oil Supertankers Struck By Projectiles In Strait of Hormuz Amid Renewed US-Iran Clashes

Two oil supertankers were struck by unknown projectiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, adding to fresh tension around one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints. Maritime security consultant Marisks reported that the vessels were Sidr and Senegal Prosperity, which were hit in quick succession as renewed US-Iran hostilities flared. Both vessels were exiting the Persian Gulf, Bloomberg reported, citing Marisks.

The incidents came hours after the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that a tanker had been attacked near Oman while leaving the strategic waterway. The back-to-back strikes were disclosed as the United States and Iran exchanged fire for the first time in a month, signalling a return to hostilities.

Vessels And Damage

Sidr was one of the ships hit. The very large crude carrier is run by Saudi Arabia’s Bahri shipping company and was struck while sailing northeast of Khasab in Oman, Marisks reported.

The second vessel was Senegal Prosperity. It was operated by Sinokor and was struck by three projectiles while travelling east of Oman, Marisks reported.

In a post on X, UKMTO wrote, "A tanker has reported being struck by 3 unknown projectiles whilst completing an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz."

The agency reported that the incident took place 17 nautical miles, or 31 km, east of Khasab and added that no casualties or environmental impact were reported.

According to Vanguard Tech, as reported by AFP, the vessel was the Liberia-flagged Senegal Prosperity. Vanguard Tech said, "The rockets impacted the vessel's port side, engine room and ballast tank, resulting in a loss of communications," and added that the crew was safe.

Security And Traffic

Traffic through the strait remains thin. Preliminary shiptracking data released on Tuesday showed about five commodity vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.

That was broadly unchanged from the weekend and well below the 10-day average of roughly 14 vessels.

Vessel movements remain depressed. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) continues its blockade of the sea lane, which handled roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments before US and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February.