Two More Oil Tankers Attacked in Strait of Hormuz as Risks Escalate

Two oil tankers were involved in incidents while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on 21 September 2026, with one vessel struck by an unidentified object, resulting in minor injuries to two crew members. The latest incidents come as maritime security risks in the area remain elevated, while commercial vessel traffic through the strait has fallen sharply.

Two New Incidents Recorded by UKMTO

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that an oil tanker inbound to the Strait of Hormuz was struck by an unidentified object. Two crew members sustained minor injuries. The vessel remained under its own power and continued toward its next port.

Several hours later, UKMTO issued another alert concerning a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier departing the Strait of Hormuz. The master reported that the vessel had been struck by debris from unidentified objects. All crew members were safe, no environmental impact was reported, and the vessel continued its voyage.

UKMTO has not attributed either incident to any particular party. The agency described the objects involved only as unidentified and said the incidents were under investigation.

JMIC Maintains “Severe” Threat Assessment

The latest incidents follow three events listed by the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) in an advisory issued on 20 September, which occurred in the Strait of Hormuz area between 16 and 18 September.

One of those incidents involved an oil tanker being struck by a flying object, resulting in a hull breach and fire.

Including the two new incidents recorded by UKMTO on 21 September, at least five maritime security incidents involving commercial shipping and oil tankers have been recorded in the Strait of Hormuz area since 16 September. However, the incidents have been described differently, including attacks, attempted attacks and other incidents involving commercial vessels. Therefore, the five incidents should not be treated as equivalent to confirmed attacks with established attribution.

JMIC continues to assess the threat level in the Strait of Hormuz as “Severe” and considers deliberate hostile actions to be “highly likely” under the current conditions.

According to JMIC, attacks, attempted attacks and harassment targeting commercial vessels are continuing. 

Reported activities include surveillance using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), monitoring of merchant vessels and communications via VHF radio.

Commercial Vessel Traffic Through Hormuz Falls Sharply

The latest incidents come as commercial vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains significantly below pre-conflict levels.

According to Kpler data cited by Reuters, only 17 vessels carrying cargo were observed transiting the strait over the weekend of 19–20 September 2026. This was down from 37 vessels during the previous weekend and significantly below the approximately 125 vessels per day recorded before the conflict began.

However, tracking data does not include vessels that have switched off their automatic identification system (AIS), meaning the figures cannot be considered a complete count of vessels actually transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

JMIC also noted a distinction between vessel traffic observable through public tracking systems and traffic recorded through systems supporting maritime coordination.

Some independent tracking systems recorded single-digit numbers of vessel transits on certain days. Meanwhile, data from U.S. Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS) showed average traffic remained above 30 vessels per day over the 72 hours up to 20 September.

Differences between data sources may reflect variations in tracking methodologies and coverage. Therefore, these figures should be interpreted in the appropriate context and should not be treated as equivalent measures of total vessel traffic through the strait.

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Source: Phaata.com (According to gCaptain)

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