Iran Keeps Up Pace of Strikes With Attack on Brand New LR2 Tanker
On Sunday, Iran struck another tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, the latest in a run of attacks on shuttle shipping between Gulf oil producers and the ship-to-ship transfer zone in the Gulf of Oman. Vanguard Tech identified the vessel as the Lipsi, a brand new LR2 linked to a Greek operator and a Chinese owner, which industry media reported sustained engine room damage. Over the past week the pace of successful Iranian strikes approached nearly one tanker per day, after Iranian forces hit the Kuwaiti VLCC KAZIMAH III on 1 October, the fifth tanker struck since 28 September.
Why it matters: It bears on maritime security, since sustained strikes on tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz test the flow of Gulf crude exports through the waterway.