(Bloomberg) — Two oil supertankers attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz were struck by projectiles late Monday, maritime security consultant Marisks said, as renewed hostilities threaten a recent recovery in oil shipments through the critical waterway.
The very large crude carrier Sidr, operated by Saudi Arabia’s Bahri shipping company, was hit while sailing northeast of Khasab, Oman, the Athens-based group said. The Senegal Prosperity, operated by South Korea’s Sinokor Group, was struck by three projectiles while traveling east of Oman. Both vessels were exiting the Persian Gulf, according to Marisks.
No one claimed responsibility for the attacks, which followed a resumption of tit-for-tat strikes between the U.S. and Iran earlier Monday. The U.S. said it targeted Iranian rocket launchers that were preparing to send mines into the strait, while Iran retaliated with attacks on the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
There were no reports of additional strikes Tuesday.
The exchanges followed weeks of relative calm, during which President Donald Trump’s administration shifted from military action toward additional economic measures against Tehran. Oil shipments through Hormuz had recovered to roughly half of pre-war levels during the lull, aided in part by clandestine shuttle runs from major Middle East producers.
Oil prices rose Tuesday on concern that renewed fighting could derail that recovery. Brent crude traded about 1.7% higher at more than $92/bbl. A sustained return to hostilities could again disrupt crude flows through one of the world’s most important oil transit routes and increase pressure on global energy prices.
Bahri and Sinokor did not respond to requests for comment. Both supertankers had deactivated the AIS transponders that reveal their locations, according to Marisks.
The latest attacks also put renewed attention on Saudi Arabia’s exports through the strait after state-owned Aramco resumed loadings from Ras Tanura and began offering cargoes from the Gulf of Oman. For months, Aramco had diverted as much oil as possible to Red Sea ports including Yanbu and offered cargoes from Egypt’s Mediterranean port of Sidi Kerir.
The U.S. and Iran have issued conflicting assessments of navigation conditions in Hormuz. A top U.S. commander recently declared international shipping lanes open after American forces cleared Iranian mines, though U.S. allies have privately questioned that assessment, Bloomberg previously reported.
The Sidr is now anchored in the strait near the Omani coast, ship-tracking data show. The vessel had been sailing dark since Aug. 20. The Senegal Prosperity was last observed leaving Saudi Arabia’s Juaymah in late August before also going dark.
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