Three More Tanker Attacks Surface in Delayed Hormuz Reports
UK Maritime Trade Operations issued three separate warnings on Wednesday covering attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz that were reported on September 29 but not published until September 30. In the first case a crude oil tanker was struck on its port side by an unknown projectile, a second tanker transiting inbound was also hit by an unknown projectile, and the third warning said only that a tanker had been struck, with UKMTO not identifying the vessels or providing information on damage, casualties or pollution. The reports bring the number of recently disclosed time-late incidents to at least four.
Why it matters: The lag between incidents in the Strait of Hormuz and their appearance in the public record bears directly on the briefing's maritime security theme, since shipowners, crews and insurers must judge conditions there from an incomplete account.