- Published
The number of ships that have reported being attacked in and around the Strait of Hormuz has hit a record high, BBC Verify analysis of data from a UK maritime agency shows.
asserted
analysis → publish → agency
Twelve vessels were attacked between 5 and 11 October - the largest number of weekly strikes reported to the UK's Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency since the US-Israeli war with Iran began.
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war → attack → Iran
The previous week saw 10 ships reporting attacks.
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ships → see → attacks
Six of the vessels were struck last Sunday, according to the UKMTO - a one-day high.
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Six → strike → UKMTO
As the number of strikes has risen, the recovery in oil shipments through the strait seen last month has slowed, industry data suggests.
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data → rise → strait
BBC Verify collated incident reports published by the UKMTO on its website and created a timeline based on the first date cited in each report.
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Verify → collate → report
This is approximate because some incidents use the date of the attack and some the date on which it was reported.
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it → use → which
Experts say Tehran has been attacking ships in an effort to assert greater control over the waterway as the US military has increased the number of tankers it is shepherding through the south of the strait to evade Iranian strikes.
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it → say → strikes
Iran is also carrying out more attacks on vessels further away from the Strait of Hormuz, according to experts.
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Iran → carry → experts
The US military's Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East, posted on social media that despite the attacks "commercial traffic continues to flow through the Strait of Hormuz with co-ordinated protection from US forces and regional partners".
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traffic → oversee → forces
Two crew missing after one of Sunday's attacks
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crew → miss → attacks
The aftermath of one of Sunday's six reported attacks was captured in verified footage showing the Nicaragua-flagged tanker Petro Dolphin on fire, as filmed by the crew on a smaller boat nearby.
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aftermath → report → boat
The vessel was struck by a drone close to the Sohar Anchorage, Oman, more than 250km (150 miles) from the strait, according to the maritime intelligence firm Vanguard.
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vessel → strike → firm
Eleven Indian seafarers were rescued but two are still missing, the Forward Seamen's Union of India said.
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Union → rescue → India
Attacks have continued this week with the container ship GFS Pride sinking after a strike by an unknown projectile in the strait on Tuesday.
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ship → continue → Tuesday
Twenty-one crew were safely evacuated.
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crew → evacuate → ?
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) published footage of what appeared to be the same ship sinking.
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what → publish → footage
It said the vessel was carrying "2,500 containers of contraband" and had taken an "unauthorised route".
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vessel → say → route
Oil shipments stall
Middle East oil exports have slowed as the number of ship strikes has risen.
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number → stall → strikes
About 12.6 million barrels per day went through the strait on 13 October, below the 15 million reported at the end of September, data from trade intelligence firm Kpler shows.
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data → go → Kpler
This compares with a pre-war baseline of some 17 million barrels per day.
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This → compare → day
The recent increase in attacks comes as US Navy data indicates the number of vessels given assistance to navigate the Strait of Hormuz during the first 10 days of October was up 85% compared with the same period in August.
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number → come → August
Most of the oil being shipped from Gulf Arab states recently has been carried using a "shuttle" system where a fleet of tankers load up and sail through the strait before transferring their cargo to larger tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
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fleet → ship → Oman
These shuttle ships use a route close to Oman's coastline.
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ships → use → coastline
Iran says this is "unauthorised" and insist vessels take an alternative route closer to its own shore.
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vessels → say → shore
So-called assisted transits were a key factor in helping drive oil flows from the Middle East back towards pre-war levels in September.
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transits → call → September
This does not include Iranian exports which have completely stalled as a result of the US blockade of Iranian ports and ships.
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which → include → ports
Martin Kelly, CEO of Orbital Risk Intelligence, said Iran has "evolved its strategy" in response to this loosening of its control over the strait and has been carrying out "near daily or multiple attacks every single day".
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Iran → say → attacks
"The aim here is to stop the ships going through and to deter others," he added.
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he → stop → others
The IRGC's navy has said strikes would not be "limited to the Strait of Hormuz" and later announced a "new deployment formation" across the region, according to state media.
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strikes → say → media
Martin Kelly told BBC Verify that Iran is widening its attacks and targeting ships near the coast of Gulf Arab states and in the Gulf of Oman.
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Iran → tell → Oman
A tanker was struck by multiple projectiles north of Qatar on Thursday 8 October, more than 500km (310 miles) from the strait, resulting in multiple reported casualties, according to Vanguard.
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tanker → strike → Vanguard
Another tanker was attacked close to the UAE town of Al-Jazirah al-Hamra on Friday 9 October, Vanguard said.
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Vanguard → attack → Friday
Verified footage shows crew members running across the deck and putting on lifejackets as a large cloud of black smoke rises over the ship.
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cloud → show → ship
The Aporia
