Three ships were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, heightening unease among shipowners and testing a US-Iran agreement to halt attacks.
The Al Rekayyat gas carrier was struck in the early hours of Tuesday, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue. Separately, a person familiar with the matter said that a Saudi crude oil tanker was damaged while leaving Hormuz, without providing further details.
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Naval forces in the region later published a report saying that there had been a third attack on an unspecified tanker, meaning Tuesday saw the largest volume of incidents since a US-Iran interim peace deal came into effect last month. They raised the threat level in the region from substantial to severe.
The spate of incidents is a reminder of the continued risks to ships crossing through Hormuz, even with military forces protecting vessels choosing to cross by a route near Oman's coastline. Tehran has repeatedly said it won't allow vessels to transit the waterway without its permission and said at the UN's maritime body on Tuesday that it has the right to control parts of the waterway.
“The recent confirmed incidents highlight that the threat environment remains heightened and warrants extreme vigilance,” the Joint Maritime Information Center, which liaises between western navies and merchant shipping, said in an update. “IRGC hailing and routing pressure continue, particularly for AIS-active vessels.”
A handful of ships still transited Hormuz using both the Iranian and Omani routes on Tuesday. Even prior to the peace deal, millions of barrels a day were transiting the waterway dark. Oil prices rose more than 3% on an intraday basis, while European gas futures added roughly 7%.
The attacks come at a delicate moment for diplomacy, with Qatar serving as a key intermediary in negotiations between the US and Iran over ending the conflict. Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman condemned the attack on one of its gas carriers said Iran should cease all practices that harm regional security.
The crew of the Qatari ship have abandoned the vessel, one person familiar with the matter said. It is anchored southeast of Limah, Oman, according to Pakistan's Hydrographic service, which monitors shipping in the area.
The vessel, owned by the nation's state-owned shipping company Nakilat, is the first LNG tanker from the country to come under attack since the war began, and marks a significant setback for its efforts to revive exports after months of near-paralysis.
Any attacks involving Saudi oil tankers would also raise concerns in oil markets. While the kingdom can export some crude via its Red Sea terminal at Yanbu, it still relies on Hormuz to fully restore flows to normal levels. Saudi ships have been among the slowest in Gulf nations to return to the waterway. Exports have remained uneven, occasionally nearing pre-war levels.
The Saudi and Qatari vessels were transiting Hormuz without their transponders on, ship-tracking data show, a common measure to avoid attracting attention.
QatarEnergy, Nakilat, Saudi tanker giant Bahri and the Saudi Energy Ministry didn't respond to requests for comment.
In boosting the threat level to shipping, the JMIC said that Iran has shown a continued intent to assert presence across key naval transit lanes. It added that US-assisted transits continued without interruption, despite the increase in threat level.
At least one other LNG carrier appeared to turn around on its way to the strait on Tuesday before sailing in circles, according to shipping data, but other traffic continued to flow. A series of Japan-linked ships made their way out via the Iranian route, while a convoy of UAE-linked vessels crossed using the Omni one.
Hormuz has been a focal point for all sides since the US and Israel began strikes on Iran in late February, as shipowners assess the safety of the crossing in order to dispatch vessels in and out of the Persian Gulf. Even after an interim peace deal signed last month, Tehran continues to seek to assert its dominance over the thoroughfare.
Traffic has improved since the agreement, but continues to face challenges and interruptions, as Iran periodically blocks transits on routes it has not approved, or attacks vessels. On Monday, a group of Japan-linked ships appeared to have transited the strait by hewing to an Iran-approved route.
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Still, there is as yet little clarity over a permanent solution to manage the chokepoint amid talks aimed at achieving a lasting peace.
Talks between the US and Iran were suspended as Tehran began a mass funeral for the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the war in late February. Qatar said the next meeting would be scheduled as soon as possible after the funeral ceremonies. Khamenei is scheduled to be buried in his hometown of Mashhad on July 9.
Photo Credit: Bloomberg
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