Shipping Attacks in Gulf Surge as Hormuz Traffic Stays Low

Attacks on ships in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz climbed to a high in October, with about 35 incidents recorded, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported in its latest assessment.

The spike makes October the most violent month for shipping in the region since the United States and Israel began joint air strikes against Iran in February. March, with roughly 30 attacks, had been the previous worst period.

On Friday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said four vessels had been set on fire in or near the strait. UKMTO's own report for the day described one vessel hit by a projectile south of Lavan Island, which then caught fire.

Despite the violence, ship movements have partially recovered. In the seven days ending October 28, 122 vessels departed the Strait of Hormuz and 155 entered. Those numbers are about 70 percent below the level before the war began, but higher than the 114 outbound and 127 inbound ships seen the week before.

In the same week, UKMTO documented three attacks in the strait, separate from the four tanker incidents mentioned by the IRGC. One of the affected ships sailed on, another asked for assistance, and details on the third remain unavailable.

Since the war started on February 28, the agency has counted at least 144 attacks across the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Aden and the Gulf of Oman.

Indian seafarers have been among those affected. The Panama-flagged oil tanker MT Louis 1, carrying 27 Indian crew, was struck by two limpet mines on Friday. The blasts caused a fire in the engine room, which the crew extinguished.

Central Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on X that all sailors were safe and no one had been hurt. His post also mentioned the October 29 attack on the Liberia-flagged VLCC MT Arjanah, which carried two Indian citizens. They too were reported safe.