Missile attack in the Strait of Hormuz hits three oil tankers

Three Liberian-flagged oil tankers were hit by unknown missiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to the maritime intelligence service Marisks.

The vessels were passing through the strait with their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transmissions switched off to avoid detection, Marisks said in a late report.

The oil tanker Al Ruwais was last seen conducting a ship-to-ship transfer near Sohar, Oman, at the end of September to unload its cargo of oil, according to data from the analytics firm Kpler.

Kpler data showed that the very large crude carrier (VLCC) Mersin Prosperity also carried out a ship-to-ship transfer near Sohar in mid-September, transferring 2 million barrels of Iraqi Basrah crude oil to another vessel.

According to the data, the Aframax tanker “Sinbad” loaded refined products at Saudi Arabia’s industrial port of Jubail in early September.