Attacks on merchant ships continue

Several ships have suffered what are believed to have been Iranian missile strikes or near misses in the Strait of Hormuz area over the past day, including the first attack on a container vessel.

The 1,740 TEU ‘Safeen Prestige’, a Maltese-flagged containership owned by Transmar Shipping of Abu Dhabi, was reported to be 2nm off the coast of Oman and trying to transit the Strait eastbound, when struck. All crew were safe and uninjured but forced to abandon ship.

The master of a tanker at anchor off the coast of Kuwait, 30nm southeast of Mubarak Al Kabeer. also reported hearing and witnessing a large explosion on the port side, and then seeing a small craft leaving the vicinity, the UKMTO reported. Location of the incident suggests a widening of attacks throughout the Middle East Gulf.

Meanwhile, a Russian tanker carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) sank in the Mediterranean yesterday after what Moscow described as an attack by Ukrainian drones launched from Libya, according to international media reports.

The ‘Arctic Metagaz’ sank in waters between Libya and Malta after catching fire a day earlier, Libya's maritime rescue agency is reported as having said in an advisory seen by Reuters. "Information indicates that the tanker experienced sudden explosions followed by a massive fire, which ultimately led to its complete ⁠sinking,” the agency said.

The tanker, which is under US and UK sanctions, was carrying about 62,000 tonnes of LNG and sank about 130 nautical miles (240km) north of the Libyan port of Sirte, according to the BBC. Vessels are being advised to stay clear of the area.

Russia's transport ministry indicated that the 30 crew members, all Russian nationals, were safe, and thanked Maltese rescue services. “We qualify what ‌happened ⁠as an act of international terrorism and maritime piracy, a gross violation of the fundamental norms of international maritime law," it said, adding that the tanker was carrying cargo from Murmansk “documented in full compliance with international regulations.”