About 10 vessels in or near the Strait of Hormuz have come under attack since Iran blocked the strategic waterway in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes, data analysis groups report.
The attacks throughout the week following the outbreak of war on February 28 almost completely halted traffic through the strait, a crucial route for oil and other goods. Britain’s maritime security agency UKMTO has issued around 10 alerts for attacks as well as warnings of suspicious activity, but has released few details on the vessels involved.
The IMO listed on its website Friday a total of nine attacks on ships in the strait in one week, including four incidents that killed a total of seven people.
SEVEN REPORTED KILLED
The IMO said one person was killed in each of three attacks on the vessels Skylight, MKD Vyom and the Stena Imperative on March 2, when the Hercules Star was also hit. Between March 3 and 5 four more vessels were struck: the Libra Trader, Gold Oak, Safeen Prestige and the Sonangol Namibe.
On March 6, four people were killed when the Mussafah 2 was struck. Indonesia announced Sunday that a vessel whose characteristics and last known position matched those of the Mussafah 2 sank two days earlier, but with a different toll.
Jakarta reported three Indonesian crew members missing, one injured Indonesian survivor and four survivors of other nationalities.
RESCUERS TARGETED
Maritime security firm Vanguard said the Mussafah 2 was hit by two missiles as it tried to assist the container ship Safeen Prestige, which had been struck by a missile two days earlier.
“Recent incident reporting... indicates that vessels providing assistance or salvage operations to previously targeted vessels may also face elevated risk of follow-on strikes,” the Joint Maritime Information Centre (JMIC), run by a Western naval coalition, warned in a note Saturday.
Drone and missile attacks claimed by IRGC are not always confirmed by independent sources -- some are confirmed only after several days, and the vessels involved are not always identified.
