Oil tankers and cargo ships anchored off the coast of Oman on 23 June. (Elke Scolliers/Getty Images)
key takeaways:
- An unidentified cargo ship has crashed near Oman after several ships capsized while attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz.
- Oil prices rose as the incident threatened weak confidence in the rapid reopening of the key energy shipping corridor.
- Officials said the US was investigating responsibility, while the IMO had halted the Strait of Hormuz evacuation plan until clarity was obtained.
A ship in the Strait of Hormuz was hit by an unidentified projectile just hours after several freighters capsized while attempting to transit the vital waterway, a development that could undermine the rapid reopening of the energy choke point.
UK Maritime Trade Operations said the unidentified cargo ship was sailing south-east of Oman when it was hit from the side and a bridge was damaged. The UKMTO, which liaises between merchant shipping and the military, advised ships to “transit with caution”.
Oil prices rose after the incident and Brent crude hit a session high above $75 a barrel after the Wall Street Journal reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had attacked a Singapore-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on June 25.
More: Who will control the Strait of Hormuz?
However, a White House official said it was too early to say who attacked the ship. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said the US was looking into which party was responsible for the strike, including whether it was an action ordered by higher levels of the IRGC or a misjudgment made by lower-level personnel. The official said there were no deaths or environmental damage and the ship was able to continue sailing.
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
If Iran is found to be behind the incident, which the UKMTO has classified as an attack, it will hit shipowners and crews’ fragile confidence that they can once again sail safely through the oil corridor. Tehran has repeatedly said ships cannot transit the Strait of Hormuz without its permission, and a handful of tankers turned back earlier in the day after reportedly hearing warnings from the Iranian navy that they should not cross.
Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority said on June 25 that any transit taking place on routes outside its framework would not be eligible for insurance coverage or protected by the “safe-passage guarantee”.
Ships had been sailing out of Hormuz since an interim peace deal between the US and Iran took effect last week, carrying supplies of millions of barrels a day. Gulf energy producers have begun increasing output as flows from Hormuz appear to have stopped.
Following the June 25 attack, the United Nations’ global shipping regulator, the International Maritime Organization, said it was halting its clearance operations in the strait.
“I have today received reports of an attack on a ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman,” IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement. “This ship did not transit under the IMO clearance framework. I have always reiterated that the safety of seafarers is paramount. Therefore, to ensure a coordinated approach and navigational safety, the evacuation plan will be put on hold until further clarity is obtained.”
The IMO said on June 23 that it had received security guarantees that could allow hundreds of ships to exit the Persian Gulf through the strait. Yet, even before the IMO plan was announced, there were signs that traffic through the vital waterway was increasing.
Two major exit routes through Hormuz have emerged over the past several weeks as the common exit route through the middle is believed to have been mined. One is near Iran, while the other is off the coast of Oman and is protected by the US.
2 supertankers
Hours earlier, at least three commercial ships, including two oil supertankers, appeared to have diverted from the Oman side while attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping intelligence company Windward Maritime said the U-turn came after the IRGC directed ships to divert ships using radio calls and social media platforms.
Not all ships made U-turns at the same time as returned ships, according to tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Some continued to walk out. Iranian media also reported that Tehran was re-establishing its control over transit.
The IMO canceled a media briefing in June 25 minutes before the start due to unspecified urgent matters.
Traffic through Hormuz increased sharply after the interim peace deal between the US and Iran took effect last week. However, there have been some glitches, including Iran saying over the weekend that the waterway was closed. Tehran’s PGSA said last week that no ships are allowed to transit through Hormuz without its permission.
Ship tracking data shows that in addition to the three outbound U-turns, a fourth ship appeared to turn after sailing from the Gulf of Oman towards Hormuz.
