World

Strait of Hormuz Ship Attacks Hit Record, 5 Tankers Hit in 24 Hours

Stateline MEDIA Newsroom•October 18, 2026•3 min read

Ship attacks around the Strait of Hormuz have hit a record high this month — 12 vessels struck in a week, at least five tankers in the last 24 hours including a first-ever RPG attack. Iran claims the strait is 'closed'; the U.S. denies it.

Key Facts

Ship strikes in and around the Strait of Hormuz have reached a record high this month, already surpassing attacks recorded during the entire month of March 2026 — the height of the Iran war — according to maritime data.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported at least five more tanker attacks in the previous 24 hours; one vessel was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade fired from a small boat — a type of attack not previously reported in the current wave.
Over the past week ending Friday (16/10/2026), 12 vessels were attacked — the largest weekly total since the war in Iran began on Feb. 28; 22 ship strikes have been reported since the start of October, almost double the previous monthly average.
Impact: one ship sunk (a Singapore-flagged vessel off the coast of Oman), nine reported damaged, three crew injured, and two people missing after a drone strike hit a Nicaragua-flagged vessel on Thursday.
Oil flows through the strait have fallen: an average of just under 12 million barrels a day in the week ending Oct. 13, below 15 million at the end of September and the pre-war baseline of 17 million barrels a day.
The IRGC warned the Strait of Hormuz is 'closed' and claimed full control of the area; U.S. CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper denied the claim and asserted the strait is controlled by the United States and its regional partners.

Record Attacks, Including an RPG

Ship strikes in and around the Strait of Hormuz have reached a record high this month, already surpassing attacks recorded during the entire month of March 2026 — the height of the Iran war — according to maritime data.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported at least five more tanker attacks in the previous 24 hours. One tanker was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade fired from a small boat — a type of attack not previously reported in the current wave of incidents.

Over the past week ending Friday (16/10/2026), 12 vessels were attacked — the largest weekly total since the war in Iran began on Feb. 28. Since the start of October, 22 ship strikes have been reported, almost double the previous monthly average, with six attacks occurring in a single day on Oct. 11.

Ship Sunk, Oil Flow Hit

A Singapore-flagged vessel sank off the coast of Oman, nine ships were reported damaged, three crew members were injured, and two people were reported missing after a drone strike hit a Nicaragua-flagged vessel on Thursday.

The toll is felt in global energy supplies: an average of just under 12 million barrels of oil a day flowed through the strait in the week ending Oct. 13 — below the 15 million reported at the end of September and the pre-war baseline of 17 million barrels a day.

Iran vs. U.S.: War of Claims

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that the Strait of Hormuz is 'closed' and claimed full control and intelligence oversight over the area east of the strait, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. The IRGC navy announced a 'new deployment formation' and said strikes would not be limited to the strait.

Washington pushed back hard. U.S. Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper insisted the Strait of Hormuz is controlled by the United States and its regional partners, not Iran. He said 400 ships had transited the strait and 100 million barrels of oil had moved through it over the past week, adding the strait had been demined.