Deadly fighting in the Middle East has spread to tankers around the strategic Strait of Hormuz, with multiple ships coming under fire on Sunday, opening up a new front in the conflict.
The Palau-flagged oil tanker Skylight (IMO 9330020) was “targeted” a few miles north of the Khasab port in Oman, the country’s Maritime Security Center said, adding that the 20-person crew was evacuated. At least four people were injured.
An official with Operation Aspides, the European Union’s counter-Houthi mission, told Business Insider that Omani authorities carried out the rescue operations.
The US Treasury Department sanctioned Skylight and more than two dozen other “shadow fleet vessels” in December for illegally moving Iranian oil.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Gulf Cooperation Council said it condemned the “brutal Iranian attacks” targeting the Duqm port in Oman and “an oil tanker off its coast.”
The incident marked the first time that a ship had come under fire since the US and Israel began a strike campaign against Iran on Saturday morning. Tehran has retaliated by launching missiles and drones across the Middle East.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, an element of the Royal Navy, has reported at least two additional attacks off the coast of Oman. Two vessels were struck by an “unknown projectile,” it said.
Iran has a history of carrying out attacks against ships near the Strait of Hormuz, including with its Shahed one-way attack drones, which have gained notoriety as Russia uses them extensively in Ukraine. Its proxies have also attacked commercial vessels.
The incidents underscore the new risk to shipping near the Strait of Hormuz. The narrow body of water between Iran and Oman is one of the world’s most important global trade routes, with about 20% of the world’s daily oil supply passing through it.
On Saturday, an Operation Aspides official said that ships had received radio transmissions from the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stating that vessels were barred from entering the Strait of Hormuz.
However, the UKMTO said on Sunday that “no official closure of the Strait of Hormuz has been formally communicated to the maritime industry through recognized maritime safety channels.”
It said that the maritime safety situation in the region remained “highly volatile,” with the ongoing fighting creating an “elevated threat to commercial shipping.” Britain warned that vessels could face military miscalculation and electronic interference.
Some vessels are avoiding the Straight of Hormuz, with international shipping companies suspending transits until further notice. Marine traffic trackers showed a significant drop in traffic through the strait after the US and Israeli strikes began on Saturday.
Iran previously threatened to shut the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for any attacks or moves it deemed hostile by the US. A full blockade, or even a sufficiently dangerous environment to deter enough ships from traveling through, could send oil prices soaring.
Israel and Iran continued to trade strikes into Sunday. Retaliatory fire from Tehran has targeted more than half a dozen other Middle East countries, including bases hosting US troops across the region.
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