A tanker reported as LR Stephanie was hit in the Strait of Hormuz, injuring two crew, while US and independent sources reported differing commercial transit figures.
IMO has verified 80 attacks on international shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz since 28 February, with at least 22 seafarers killed and many others injured.
Somali pirates have released MV Sward and its 17 crew near Garacad in Puntland after a ransom payment. The vessel had been held since it was seized off Somalia on 26 April 2026.
U.S. forces struck five Iran-linked tankers after a second attempted Iranian missile strike against a U.S. Navy vessel, while Iran warned tanker crews near Kuwait and Bahrain.
Iranian border guards seized a foreign barge carrying 382,000 litres of diesel in the northern Gulf and detained 11 foreign nationals over suspected fuel smuggling.
Turkish commandos and Somali forces retook the cargo ship Lutuf off Somalia on 29 August after pirates had held the Cameroon-flagged vessel for nearly two weeks.
Iran’s PGSA has blacklisted 45 vessels over alleged Strait of Hormuz transit violations, while warning that listed ships could face detention, confiscation or fines.
Saudi Arabia-flagged VLCC Amzan was struck west of Yanbu on 24 August as Houthi attacks continued in the northern Red Sea, affecting crude export movements.
UKMTO reported that a tanker was hit by a projectile 63 nautical miles west of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. A fire developed on the main deck, while everyone aboard was confirmed safe.
