October has been the worst month for attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waterways, according to data from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, which has tracked maritime security incidents worldwide since 2017. The institute has recorded 28 confirmed and reported attacks in October and 113 since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28, as noted by Reuters. Most of the attacks in September and October took place in the Strait of Hormuz itself.
The figures broadly match data from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which has recorded 120 incidents in the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Middle East since the conflict began. According to a Reuters review of IMO and MarineTraffic data, more than 30 Very Large Crude Carriers have been damaged, including 11 in October alone, about 3.5% of the global fleet of these supertankers. More tankers have come under attack as shipowners have become more willing to load cargoes inside the Gulf, attracted by daily freight rates above US$1 million. Greece-based consultancy Marisks said a dozen ships were attacked between October 5 and 11, the highest weekly number since the conflict began.