Two tankers reportedly struck as oil shipments through Hormuz face risks

Two oil supertankers attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz were struck late Monday by projectiles in quick succession, maritime security consultant Marisks said, the latest sign of renewed hostilities around the critical waterway. 

The very large crude carrier Sidr, run by Saudi Arabia's Bahri shipping company, was hit while sailing northeast of Khasab, Oman, the consultant said. The Senegal Prosperity, operated by South Korea's Sinokor Group, was struck by three projectiles while traveling east of the same country, it said. Both were exiting the Persian Gulf, according to Marisks.

 Renewed attacks threaten the fragile recovery in oil shipments through the vital chokepoint, which had reached roughly half of pre-war levels thanks to clandestine shuttle runs from major Middle East producers. Crude prices jumped on Tuesday after US forces hit an island in Hormuz, and Iran retaliated with attacks on the United Arab Emirates and Jordan - marking the first exchange of fire in about a month.

 

 Bahri and Sinokor didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Oil prices extended gains on the report, with Brent futures rising as much as 2% to surpass $92 a barrel. 

 Earlier, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said that one tanker reported being struck by three unknown projectiles while completing an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz. It didn't identify the vessel.

 Both supertankers had deactivated the AIS transponders that reveal their location, according to Marisks.

 The attack shines a spotlight on Saudi Arabia's recent exports via the Strait of Hormuz, after state-owned producer Aramco resumed loadings from Ras Tanura and began offering cargoes from the Gulf of Oman via tenders. For months, Aramco had focused on diverting as much oil as possible to its Red Sea ports including Yanbu, and also offering cargoes from Egypt's Mediterranean port of Sidi Kerir, with Iran-backed Houthis targeting those flows. 

 The Sidr vessel is now anchored in the middle of the strait near the Omani coast, ship-tracking data show. Based on the ship's recent activities, it's likely that the vessel had picked up a cargo from within the Persian Gulf while dark, and was moving outbound with its cargo toward Fujairah, a hub for ship-to-ship transfers. 

 Washington and Tehran have been issuing conflicting reports on safety of navigation in the strait, with a top US commander declaring "international shipping lanes are open" after American forces had cleared Iranian mines and US President Donald Trump saying there have been an average 30 ship exits a night. Meanwhile, Iranian state TV reported a supertanker was stuck by mines in a statement by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.