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Fresh attacks on tankers are adding to the severe disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, where only four commodity vessels were recorded transiting on September 17, compared with a 10-day average of about 16 and normal pre-war traffic of roughly 125 large commercial vessels per day. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it struck and stopped the Togo-flagged products tanker Trend after what it described as an unauthorized transit attempt, while UK Maritime Trade Operations separately reported a tanker hit by an unknown projectile that sparked an onboard fire before being extinguished; it remains unclear whether those reports describe the same vessel. UKMTO also confirmed a delayed report of another tanker struck while outbound on September 16. Despite the security deterioration, Saudi Arabia is increasing crude movements through the Gulf using tanker shuttles and ship-to-ship transfers off Oman, while VLCC freight rates have risen to unprecedented levels as owners limit their exposure to the strait.
Fresh Tanker Strikes Meet Near-Standstill Traffic
4 ShipsCommercial movement through the strait remains heavily suppressed while new tanker attacks reinforce the security, insurance and crew-risk barriers keeping many operators away.
Hormuz Security & Shipping Board
The strait is still moving cargo, but the operating model increasingly depends on restricted passages, dark transits, shuttle tankers, military coordination and ship-to-ship transfers outside the Gulf.
| Date | Vessel / Development | Status | Crew / Environmental Impact | What Happened | Operational Significance | Commercial Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep. 18 | Trend 7,119-dwt products tanker · Togo flag | IRANIAN CLAIM NOT FULLY VERIFIED | Crew and pollution details were not immediately confirmed in the Iranian statement. | Iran's Revolutionary Guard said the tanker was struck, caught fire and was stopped while attempting what it called an unauthorized transit. | Iran paired the claim with a warning that ships attempting unauthorized passage could be destroyed. | Raises the risk premium for owners considering independent passage rather than using approved or escorted movement windows. |
| Sep. 18 | Unnamed Tanker Strait of Hormuz | UKMTO INCIDENT |
CREW SAFE Fire extinguished; environmental impact unconfirmed. |
UKMTO said the tanker was struck by an unknown projectile, starting an onboard fire. | It was not immediately clear whether this was the same incident Iran identified as Trend. | Adds another live security event at the same time owners are being asked to move more Gulf crude. |
| Sep. 16 | Unnamed Outbound Tanker Hormuz outbound transit | UKMTO VERIFIED |
CREW SAFE Damage and pollution assessment not reported. |
A delayed verified report said an unknown projectile struck the tanker while it was leaving the Gulf. | Demonstrates that outbound vessels remain exposed even after reaching the narrow exit corridor. | Supports continued reluctance by independent operators to accept Gulf voyages without significant freight and security premiums. |
| Sep. 14 | St Helena Djibouti flag | PROJECTILE STRIKE | No casualties, vessel damage or environmental impact were initially reported. | UKMTO received a verified report that the vessel had been struck by an unknown projectile. | Added to a continuing pattern of intermittent attacks rather than a sustained period of safe navigation. | Prevents normal risk pricing from returning even on days when traffic temporarily rises. |
| Sep. 17 | Hormuz Commodity Traffic Kpler preliminary tracking | 4 TRANSITS | Two Panamax tankers, one Supramax and one Kamsarmax were identified. | Three vessels entered the Gulf and one exited. | Traffic remained far below both the 10-day crisis average and historical normal traffic. | Physical ship availability is increasingly a question of owner willingness, insurance and security access rather than fleet size alone. |
| Sep.-Oct. | Saudi Aramco Gulf Exports Ras Tanura → Sohar STS | ~60M BBL PLANNED | No casualty event; logistics workaround. | Trading sources say Saudi Arabia plans to move about 60 million barrels from Gulf terminals and transfer cargoes ship-to-ship near Sohar, Oman. | Shuttle movements through Hormuz allow long-haul VLCCs to remain outside the highest-risk section of the trade. | Keeps crude moving but consumes more vessel-days and supports extreme tanker freight rates. |
Strait Transit Suppression & Cargo Exposure Analyzer
Compare current daily vessel movement with a chosen reference level and estimate the number of vessel movements and tanker cargoes displaced over time.
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