A Panama-flagged very large crude carrier (VLCC) was struck while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on June 27, becoming the second commercial vessel attacked in the strategic waterway within three days.
The Greek-owned MV Kiku (300,866 dwt) was carrying approximately two million barrels of crude oil and was bound for Singapore. According to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the vessel was hit by an unidentified projectile about 22 nautical miles off Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, damaging the bridge. The crew was reported safe and no pollution occurred.
The attack follows the June 25 drone strike on the Singapore-flagged containership Ever Lovely, which was damaged while leaving the Persian Gulf through the southern shipping corridor near Oman.
The latest incident further undermines efforts to restore normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after the recent U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement. The United States accused Iran of violating the ceasefire by attacking commercial shipping. In response, U.S. forces carried out a new round of strikes targeting Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communications systems, air-defense sites, drone storage facilities and minelaying capabilities.
Earlier, Washington had already conducted retaliatory strikes following the attack on Ever Lovely.
Iran rejected the accusations, arguing that the U.S. attacks themselves violated the ceasefire agreement. Tehran also maintained that vessels transiting outside routes designated by its Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) would not be covered by Iranian safe-passage guarantees.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had launched missile and drone attacks against U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait, further raising fears of a broader regional escalation.
The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) raised the maritime security threat level in the Strait of Hormuz from Moderate back to Substantial, warning shipowners about continued attacks on merchant vessels, mine hazards and congestion in the waterway.
At the same time, JMIC announced that the southern transit corridor along the Omani coast has been widened to allow simultaneous inbound and outbound traffic, replacing the previous single-lane arrangement introduced after the reopening of the route.
However, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) continues to suspend its evacuation programme for ships stranded inside the Persian Gulf following the attack on Ever Lovely. The organization said it is waiting for renewed safety guarantees before resuming coordinated vessel movements.
