12 ships attacked in the Strait of Hormuz in a week: US and Iran in a contest for dominance, oil price at $110 a barrel
At least 12 ships have been attacked this week in the strategic Strait of Hormuz and the waterways around it. Amid the conflict, both sides — the United States and Iran — are active in holding on to their dominance over this sea route, and its direct impact is falling on fuel oil prices in the world market. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has given the information about these attacks.
The maritime security agency said it is itself struggling to present the actual number of attacks, because most of the attacked ships have refused to tell them anything about the matter. Although more incidents in this waterway have been learned of through other sources, it has not been possible to confirm them for lack of information.
According to UKMTO, of the 12 ships confirmed to have been attacked, half have been able to reach their destinations or have anchored at port. One ship has sunk, two have been disabled, and three have been damaged or their fate could not be confirmed. A similar situation was seen in early October too — since the US-Israel conflict centred on Iran began on 28 February, the highest number of ship attacks has occurred in this very month.
The agency also reported a new type of attack. A tanker's captain reported that about 144 kilometres northeast of Saudi Arabia's eastern city of Jubail, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) was fired from a small boat, which struck the rear-left part of the ship.
Fuel movement has not come to a complete halt even amid the attacks. In recent times the United States has been able to increase the amount of fuel transported through the Strait of Hormuz and the surrounding waterways through special arrangements coordinated with Arab countries. However, as attacks from Iran have increased, the volume of this transport fluctuates every week.
According to Kepler data, in the seven days up to 13 October, an average of 11.6 million barrels of oil a day was transported through the Strait of Hormuz. This is about 68 percent of the pre-war daily transport rate of 17.1 million barrels. Against the backdrop of the ongoing attacks, on Friday the price of crude oil 'Brent crude' reached $110 per barrel for the first time since May.
The situation has been made more complicated by Iran-backed Houthis' attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure and the seizure of the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The fear of the US-Iran conflict growing more intense has also influenced oil prices.
However, the US military has presented a completely different picture of the situation in this waterway. In a video message, US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Brad Cooper claimed that despite Tehran's attacks, 400 ships and 100 million barrels of oil moved through the Strait of Hormuz last week. He said the Strait of Hormuz is not Iran's, but rather is under the control of the United States and their regional partners.
Cooper blamed the 'frustration' of Iran's Revolutionary Guard force, the IRGC, for the increase in the number of attacks on ships. The US military further claimed that through a firm naval blockade they have blocked the import and export of goods through Iran's southern ports; according to them, because of this blockade Iran has lost $25 billion in revenue from oil exports. In addition, the United States recently seized $350 million of Iran's cryptocurrency financing.
According to UKMTO's report, in the last seven days 125 ships went out through this strait and 129 ships entered it. According to Western security agency data, most of the ships moving during this time were carrying dry bulk cargo; after that were tankers and general cargo ships.
Tehran itself has given no precise statistics on exactly how many ships have been attacked or how many ships are moving through this strategic route. However, their allegation is that Washington is inflating the numbers to show off the success of its own naval operations.
Meanwhile, the two sides have made contradictory claims over reports that two ships were damaged this week in the Strait of Hormuz by naval mines or mines laid on the seabed. The IRGC says this waterway is unsafe for ships that are not coordinating with Iran's 'Persian Gulf Strait Authority'. The IRGC claims that a supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil caught fire in a mine explosion while travelling on an 'unauthorised' route; it has been claimed that Iran's state television 'Press TV' also released footage of the tanker on fire. On the other hand, CENTCOM said it has removed naval mines from that waterway and that the ships are actually being damaged by strikes from various projectiles.
Amid the two sides' exchange of claims and counter-claims, the Strait of Hormuz has now become the focal point of world energy security. The situation indicates that if attacks keep increasing at such a rate, pressure on both oil prices and supply will grow further.
