Eleven Ships Attacked in Hormuz and Arabian Gulf Week Ending November 4

Incident Breakdown

Eight of the attacks took place in the Strait of Hormuz. The remaining three incidents were recorded in the Arabian Gulf. Of the 11 total events, three ships continued normal navigation. Five vessels required external assistance. Three ships were ultimately lost at sea.

Specific Incidents

On November 2, a dhow was hit by an unknown projectile. This attack resulted in one crew fatality. Local authorities successfully rescued thirty people. On November 1 in the Strait of Hormuz, a Panamanian-flagged supply vessel was struck. A nearby maritime vessel evacuated the crew. This vessel was subsequently reported sunk.

Arabian Gulf Activity

On November 4 in the Arabian Gulf, a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker was targeted by two unidentified projectiles. This caused the tanker to drift uncontrollably. It required local assistance to stabilize.

Maritime Traffic Analysis

The Strait of Hormuz saw 325 crossings over the seven days. This included 170 outbound movements and 155 inbound movements. This figure surpassed the 277 recorded the previous week. UKMTO noted traffic is about 65% below pre-conflict levels.

AIS and Routing

Automatic Identification System (AIS) observations rose to 71 crossings. This was up from 64 the prior week. US-facilitated crossings remained generally stable. Energy transporters accounted for roughly 80% of movements in the Strait of Hormuz. More vessels chose the southern route. Most AIS-reporting units still used the Iranian passage.

Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb

No attacks were reported in the Red Sea or Bab el-Mandeb during the reporting period. The last documented attack was on August 24. Traffic in Bab el-Mandeb remains significantly reduced. It is 24% below levels before the Houthi blockade announcement on July 22.