Another tanker has been struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, adding to growing concerns over the safety of commercial shipping through the strategic waterway as diplomatic efforts to restore traffic continue.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported the latest incident on Tuesday in waters between Iran and Oman. It came a day after another tanker was attacked off the coast of Oman, highlighting the continued security risks facing vessels attempting to navigate the region.
The latest attack occurred despite ongoing efforts by Pakistan and other regional parties to bring Iran and the United States back to negotiations aimed at easing the disruption to shipping through the chokepoint. So far, there has been limited evidence of a breakthrough, although oil markets have continued to show relative optimism over the prospect of a diplomatic resolution.
The previous incident involved an Aframax tanker sailing under the Liberian flag and carrying about 704,000 barrels of jet fuel, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward. The vessel was able to reach Fujairah after the attack.
Shipping activity through Hormuz has meanwhile remained severely depressed, underscoring the scale of the disruption facing the global oil trade.
Kpler data showed that only five commodity vessels transited the strait in either direction on Tuesday, roughly unchanged from Monday but significantly below the 10-day average of 15 vessels. Traffic also remains far below levels recorded before the conflict.
Windward data showed that by Wednesday, 11 vessels had made inbound crossings while six had travelled outbound through the waterway. Six of the vessels were tankers, split equally between three inbound and three outbound ships.
All six tankers had their automatic identification system transponders switched on, according to the data, providing visibility of their movements through the strategically important passage.
The concentration of oil exports toward Asia adds another layer of risk to the disruption. Windward estimates that China accounts for about 65% of oil exports moving through the Strait of Hormuz, making the continuation of the shipping crisis particularly significant for Chinese crude supplies and wider Asian energy markets.
The latest tanker strike also comes as Iran and Oman discuss a proposed temporary shipping corridor that could provide an interim mechanism for restoring navigation through the strait. The initiative is part of broader diplomatic efforts to establish safer passage while negotiations over the longer-term security and administration of the waterway continue.
For the oil market, the combination of renewed tanker attacks and historically low vessel traffic points to continued physical supply risks. Yet crude prices have not fully reflected the severity of the disruption, with traders continuing to price in the possibility that diplomatic efforts could eventually restore commercial navigation.
The latest incident therefore leaves the market facing two competing developments: continued attacks and sharply reduced tanker movements on one side, and renewed diplomatic efforts to reopen one of the world's most important energy corridors on the other.