Bulker Attacked by Small Craft in the Strait of Hormuz
Both Iran and the U.S. Navy are taking steps to enforce their respective blockades in the Strait of Hormuz. On Sunday, a foreign-flagged bulker reported that it was attacked while headed northbound into the strait, just off the coast of Sirik, Iran. Consultancy Vanguard Tech reports that multiple small craft approached the ship at about 1130 hours UTC; all crew were reported safe, and no environmental impact was reported.
The vessel has been identified as the Minoan Falcon, a Greek-owned bulker of about 90,000 dwt. AIS data shows that at the time of the interdiction, the ship entered just inside of Iran's 12-mile territorial sea boundary, indicating either a diversion or an intent to use the tightly-controlled route on Iran's side of the waterway. AIS data shows that the ship reversed course; however, she appears to have disabled its transponder as of 1600 hours local time. Her last reported destination was Bandar Imam Khomeini, Iran, a port opposite Umm Qasr at the far northern end of the Arabian Gulf.
Relatedly, ships at anchor at Ras al Khaimah (off the northeastern shores of the UAE) have reported a new Channel 16 navigational advisory from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Radio call harassment from the IRGC is commonplace in the waterway, but this specific item is new: the IRGC has reportedly ordered all of the vessels at anchor at Ras al Khaimah and Mina Saqr to relocate to Dubai immediately, or face consequences that would be "their responsibility" if they do not comply.
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The U.S. continues its own enforcement effort to corral Iranian tanker traffic inside the Gulf. As of Sunday, U.S. Central Command reports that it has turned around 49 vessels bound to or from Iran, and says that it remains committed to "total enforcement."
The majority of the intercepted vessels have not been outbound, laden tankers. TankerTrackers.com has identified 25 tankers that departed Iran in laden condition during the month of April, including the two-week period before the blockade began. Seven were redirected back to Iran, two were seized in the Indian Ocean, and most of the rest have arrived at their commercial destinations.
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