An Angelicoussis-controlled LNG carrier was among several merchant vessels reportedly struck while transiting the Strait of Hormuz between 3 and 5 October, with a sharp increase in attacks on commercial shipping attributed to Iranian forces.
The Greek-flagged Maran Gas Mystras was reportedly hit by an unidentified projectile while exiting the Strait on 5 October. UK-based maritime security firm Vanguard Tech identified the vessel and reported that the strike caused a fire in the engine room. The vessel suffered no reported casualties and remained operational, continuing its voyage under its own power. Maran Gas reportedly said the ship and crew were safe and that the vessel remained fully operational. Equasis database and Maran Gas’ website shows the 159,800-cbm LNG carrier, built in 2015, is operated by Maran Gas Maritime and is part of the Angelicoussis group fleet.
The incident corresponds with a UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) warning issued on 5 October reporting that an outbound vessel had been struck by an unknown projectile.
UKMTO separately reported a tanker strike at 16:37 UTC on the same day, in which an engine-room fire broke out. Greece-based maritime intelligence firm Marisks subsequently identified that vessel as the Panama-flagged On Peace. UK-based maritime security firm Ambrey Intelligence reported that 12 of the vessel’s 19 crew members were injured in the attack, including 11 Indian nationals, and were evacuated to Khasab, Oman with assistance from Omani authorities. The extent of the damage to the vessel is not known.
Three other vessels were reportedly hit in the Strait during the preceding two days. Vanguard Tech reported that on 3 October the Liberia-flagged crude tanker Ghana Prosperity was struck by an unknown projectile above the waterline. On 4 October, the Singapore-flagged LPG carrier Gas Vela was reportedly hit by a drone, while the Liberia-flagged crude tanker Cameroon Prosperity was struck by two unknown projectiles.
The latest incidents follow the reported attack on Dynacom-operated Lipsi, which was struck on 4 October and suffered engine-room damage, leaving the tanker disabled and adrift. The attacks also follow the reported strike on Kuwait Oil Tanker Company’s Kazimah III on 1 October, when a fire broke out and the crew were evacuated.
UKMTO reports indicate that 11 vessels have been hit in the Strait of Hormuz since 29 September. The incidents have occurred as transits through the waterway have increased.
The latest preliminary data from Kpler, through 3 October, shows confirmed oil volumes passing through the strait averaging around 9Mbd over the prior seven days, versus a pre-war baseline of around 17.1Mbd. Tanker crossings were averaging around 13 per day, compared with roughly 50 before the war. Kpler recorded no crude loadings in Iran in September, with the last recorded loading on 25 August.