Between October 29 and 30, 2026, Iran attacked at least four tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and the surrounding waters. These attacks involved the use of missiles and limpet mines that damaged tankers loaded and empty, owned by Qatar and the UAE. Iranian sources also claimed that four tankers hit mines and caught fire, although it is unclear whether these tankers included the four confirmed ones.
Attack on LNG and Crude Oil Tankers
On October 30, an LNG tanker named AL MAYEDA (IMO 9397298), flagged under the Marshall Islands and owned by Qatar, was attacked by three missiles approximately 40 nautical miles south of Lavan Island. According to Windward data, this tanker was targeted at 18:00 UTC, then changed course at 18:33 UTC and went dark at 22:17 UTC.
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On the same day, a small boat approached the tanker LOUISE 1 (IMO 9290323), flagged under Panama and owned by Panama, and placed two explosive devices on its hull. The explosion caused a fire in the engine room and temporarily disabled the vessel. LOUISE 1 reported loading 1.02 million barrels of crude oil as of September 28.
Further Attacks on Dark Tankers
Two other tankers were attacked while likely transiting the strait in a dark condition. The tanker RITI (IMO 9249075), flagged under Panama and owned by the Marshall Islands, was attacked on October 30 and caught fire. Oman evacuated the 25 crew members of this tanker about 1.6 nautical miles from the Musandam Peninsula.
On October 29, the tanker ARZANAH (IMO 9928023), flagged under Liberia and owned by the UAE, was targeted. According to the latest reports, this tanker had loaded 2.14 million barrels of crude oil and had been dark since October 17.
Analysis and Future Predictions
This round of attacks continues the trend that began this month and expands Iran's methods. Limpet mines are known as a low-cost weapon against tankers and were last successfully used in this region in 2019. This threat has specifically increased in the Strait of Hormuz due to the ability of small boats to approach tankers and place explosives on their hulls.
However, the increase in attacks has not affected the number of maritime transits through the Strait of Hormuz. Between October 30 and the morning of November 1, there were about 24 visible transits with AIS, compared to 18 transits during the same period from October 28 to 30.
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