Iran attacking ships in Strait of Hormuz at highest levels of war…

October has become the worst month on record for attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, with at least 28 incidents recorded, National Security Journal reported, citing Reuters. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, which has tracked maritime security incidents since 2017, compiled the data. More than 110 attacks have been reported since the war began on February 28.

More than 30 supertankers have been damaged during the war, including 11 in October, representing roughly 3.5 percent of the global fleet of such vessels, the report said. On October 13, the Singapore-registered container ship GFS Pride caught fire after an unidentified projectile struck it and later sank, Reuters reported. Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority said all 21 crew members were safe.

Kpler data showed only five commodity vessels crossed the strait on Saturday, October 24, and none on Sunday, compared with 31 the previous weekend. That is a decline of over 80 percent across the two weekends.