Panama-flagged tanker hit in Strait of Hormuz; Oman rescues 10, India says 12 hurt
Version 3: A Panama-flagged tanker, the Onfis, has now been identified as the vessel attacked in the strait, with Oman reporting its air force rescued 10 crew and India reporting 12 injured including 11 Indians; four more outlets have published on the strikes.
In short
A Panama-flagged tanker, the Onfis, was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz and a fire broke out aboard. Oman's defence ministry said its air force rescued 10 crew members about 9 nautical miles northeast of Lima in Musandam province and took them to hospital; India's foreign ministry said 12 people were injured, 11 of them Indian, among the 19 crew. The strike is the latest in a series this month, with Iran's Fars news agency reporting that the Revolutionary Guard attacked at least seven tankers over five days.
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A Panama-flagged tanker was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz and its crew were evacuated after a fire broke out aboard. Oman's defence ministry said on Oct 6 that its air force rescued 10 crew members of the vessel, the Onfis, from waters about 9 nautical miles northeast of Lima in Musandam province, and flew them to Khasab hospital for treatment, according to Asia Economy and Chosun Ilbo. India's foreign ministry said the Onfis was hit by a projectile while passing through the strait; of its 19 crew, 17 were Indian, and 12 people were injured including 11 Indians, a figure Newsis carried in its headline. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
India's foreign ministry condemned the attack, said it was deeply concerned about continuing attacks on ships in the region, and called for them to stop immediately and for trade and shipping through international waterways to return to normal, Asia Economy reported. [ 5 ]
The UK maritime trade body UKMTO said a tanker was hit by an unknown projectile in the strait on Oct 4, damaging its engine room; the crew were safe, no environmental damage was reported and authorities were investigating, and UKMTO did not give the exact time or location, Yonhap reported. Yonhap said the case was the fourth vessel strike UKMTO had disclosed in the strait that month, and Asia Economy reported that UKMTO relayed seven vessel attack reports around the strait in the six days from Sept 28 to Oct 3. [ 2 , 5 ]
Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported that the Revolutionary Guard navy attacked at least seven tankers in the strait over five days, including two Kuwaiti and three Emirati vessels, according to Dong-A Ilbo and Yonhap. Yonhap said the Kuwaiti-flagged Kazima 3 was among the vessels, while Dong-A Ilbo, citing the independent military information provider MenchOSINT, said two tankers exploded in the strait on Oct 2 and listed the five vessels hit in the preceding four days as Kuwait's Al Funtas and Kazima 3 and the UAE's Sinbad, Mersin Prosperity and Al Ruwais. [ 1 , 2 ]
Dong-A Ilbo said the attacks continued despite President Donald Trump's repeated claims that the strait is open and under US control, and that Iran has strengthened its control of the strait since war broke out on Feb 28 after a joint Israeli and US attack. [ 1 ]
Korea Economic Daily's overnight headline said seven ships were hit in succession in the Strait of Hormuz and that oil prices broke back above $100; its article text was not available beyond subscription and service notices, and no other document gave a price level. UKMTO's advisories attribute the strikes to unknown projectiles without naming a perpetrator, while Fars attributes a series of attacks to the Revolutionary Guard, and the documents do not reconcile the two accounts. [ 2 , 3 ]
Asia Economy also reported that the Revolutionary Guard had warned ships passing through the strait that they would be attacked if they did not turn back. [ 5 ]
Why it matters
The reported strikes keep shipping in the Strait of Hormuz at risk, a waterway used for oil and cargo movement, and the latest attack caused crew casualties and prompted a rescue by Oman's air force and a public condemnation from India. Coverage points to continuing danger even as President Donald Trump repeatedly said the strait is open and under US control, according to Fars via Dong-A Ilbo. Korea Economic Daily's headline linked the attacks to oil prices back above $100, though its article text was not available and no other document gave a price level.
Key facts
- Oman's defence ministry said on Oct 6 that its air force rescued 10 crew members of the Panama-flagged tanker Onfis from waters about 9 nautical miles northeast of Lima in Musandam province, after a fire broke out aboard the vessel, and flew them to Khasab hospital. [ 5 , 6 ]
- India's foreign ministry said the Onfis was hit by a projectile while passing through the strait, that 12 people were injured including 11 Indians out of 19 crew, and condemned the attack. [ 5 , 7 ]
- Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported that the Revolutionary Guard navy attacked at least seven tankers in the strait over five days, including two Kuwaiti and three Emirati vessels. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The Kuwaiti-flagged tanker Kazima 3 was among the vessels reported hit. [ 1 , 2 ]
- UKMTO said a tanker was hit by an unknown projectile in the strait on Oct 4, damaging its engine room, with the crew safe and no environmental damage reported, and said it was the fourth vessel strike it had disclosed in the strait that month. [ 2 ]
- UKMTO relayed seven vessel attack reports around the strait in the six days from Sept 28 to Oct 3, according to Asia Economy. [ 5 ]
- Korea Economic Daily's headline said seven ships were hit in succession in the Strait of Hormuz and that oil prices had broken back above $100. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A Panama-flagged tanker was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz and about 10 of its crew were injured, with Oman saying the crew members were moved for treatment. [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Oman's defence ministry said its air force rescued 10 crew members of the Panama-flagged Onfis about 9 nautical miles northeast of Lima in Musandam province and transported them to hospital for treatment after a fire broke out aboard. [ 5 , 6 ]
- India's foreign ministry said 12 people were injured in the attack on the Onfis, including 11 Indians, and condemned it. [ 5 , 7 ]
- Fars reported that the Revolutionary Guard navy attacked at least seven tankers in the Strait of Hormuz over five days, including two Kuwaiti and three UAE vessels. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The Kuwaiti-flagged tanker Kazima 3 was among the vessels hit. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Which party carried out the strikes. UKMTO describes hits by unknown projectiles without attribution, while Fars attributes a series of attacks to the Revolutionary Guard; the documents do not reconcile the two accounts.
- The exact number of crew injured on the Onfis. Oman's defence ministry and Chosun Ilbo reported about 10 crew treated or injured, while India's foreign ministry put the figure at 12, including 11 Indians; the documents do not explain the difference.
- Whether oil prices rose back above $100 because of the strikes. This appears only in Korea Economic Daily's headline; its article text was not available beyond subscription and service notices, and no other document gives a price level.
- Whether the Onfis strike is counted in Fars' figure of seven tankers or UKMTO's four October cases. The documents give no date for the Onfis attack beyond Oct 6 and do not connect it to either count.
- The reported warning by the Revolutionary Guard that ships would be attacked if they did not turn back. This is reported only by Asia Economy and is attributed to what the outlet said was known, without naming a source.
- The account that war broke out on Feb 28 after a joint Israeli and US attack, and that Iran has since tightened control of the strait. This background appears only in Dong-A Ilbo, whose article text is truncated.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Oct 4: Dong-A Ilbo reports Fars' account that the Revolutionary Guard navy attacked at least seven tankers in the Strait of Hormuz over five days, and cites MenchOSINT that two tankers exploded in the strait on Oct 2, one at the entrance and one while leaving. [ 1 ]
- Oct 5: Yonhap relays UKMTO saying a tanker was hit by an unknown projectile in the strait on Oct 4, damaging its engine room, the fourth vessel strike it disclosed that month, and cites Fars' figure of at least seven tankers including two Kuwaiti and three UAE vessels. [ 2 ]
- Oct 6: Korea Economic Daily's overnight headline says seven ships were hit in succession in the Strait of Hormuz and that oil prices broke back above $100. [ 3 ]
- Oct 7: Yonhap reports that a Panama-flagged tanker was attacked in the strait and about 10 crew were injured, with Oman saying the crew were moved for treatment. [ 4 ]
- Oct 7: Asia Economy reports Oman's defence ministry statement of Oct 6 that its air force rescued 10 crew of the Panama-flagged Onfis about 9 nautical miles northeast of Lima in Musandam province and flew them to Khasab hospital after a fire aboard, and India's foreign ministry statement that 12 people were hurt, 11 of them Indian. [ 5 ]
- Oct 7: Chosun Ilbo reports Oman's defence ministry statement that the air force rescued about 10 crew of the Panama-flagged Onfis about 9 nautical miles northeast of Lima in Musandam and that a fire broke out aboard the attacked vessel. [ 6 ]
- Oct 7: Newsis headlines India's account that 12 people were injured in the strike on the Panama-flagged tanker in the strait. [ 7 ]