A seafarer was killed when the capesize bulk carrier Cape Dao was struck while passing through the Strait of Hormuz on 23 September, Splash 247 reported. The attack caused a fire in the engine room and left the ship drifting, adding to the human and commercial toll of the conflict around the waterway.
The vessel, built in 2002 and registered in Antigua and Barbuda, was hit at about 0630 UTC near Oman’s Musandam peninsula, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations, cited by Splash 247. A Royal Navy of Oman ship evacuated 27 crew members. India’s embassy in Muscat confirmed that the person killed was Indian and that 19 Indian nationals had been on board. Responsibility for the strike had not been established.
The Cape Dao incident came after two other ships were hit in recent days. An unidentified projectile struck the Isle of Man-flagged tanker LR Stephanie, leaving two crew members injured, while the LPG carrier Al Maryah was struck by debris. The report did not identify who was responsible for either of those incidents. Together, the cases involved a dry bulk carrier, a tanker and a vessel carrying liquefied petroleum gas.
The International Maritime Organization said last week that it had verified 80 attacks against merchant vessels in and around Hormuz since the conflict started, according to Splash 247. That figure provides the wider backdrop to the latest fatal incident and the recent damage to other commercial ships using the area.
Away from the shipping incidents, Saudi Arabia resumed operations on its East-West pipeline this week, though at reduced throughput. The restart reopened the route to Yanbu, which avoids Hormuz. Aramco aims to bring flows back towards the approximately 4 million barrels a day transported before drone attacks forced the system to close. Splash 247 reported that a full recovery could still take weeks, leaving the alternative route operating below its previous level for now.