St Helena hit by projectile as Hormuz traffic falls to four vessels

September 17 ------ The safety risks facing seafarers in the Strait of Hormuz remain acute, after the Djibouti-flagged St Helena was reportedly struck by an unknown projectile as vessel traffic through the strategic waterway fell to just four transits the following day.

The incident occurred at around 20:40 UTC on September 14, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). A verified source reported that a vessel had been struck by an unknown projectile. No casualties, vessel damage or environmental impact have been reported, while authorities continue to investigate. UKMTO has advised vessels operating in the area to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity.

Maritime security sources have attributed the incident to Iran, although UKMTO has not identified a perpetrator and has described the object only as an “unknown projectile.” The uncertainty surrounding the incident further highlights the risks faced by crews navigating the Strait, where vessels remain exposed to attacks and other security threats amid the ongoing regional conflict.

The approximately 105-metre, 6,800-gt St Helena has been stranded in the Gulf amid the wider disruption to shipping through Hormuz. The vessel is historically associated with the Royal Mail route linking the UK, Ascension Island, St Helena and South Africa and is now used for expedition and passenger operations.

Hormuz traffic remains at critically low levels

The incident comes as shipping activity through the Strait remains at exceptionally low levels. Preliminary shipping data showed that only four vessels transited Hormuz on Tuesday, September 15, down from seven the previous day and well below the 10-day average of 18 vessels, Reuters reports.

The actual number of movements may be higher, however, as vessels sailing with their automatic identification system (AIS) transponders switched off would not appear in the available data. Even so, the recorded traffic remains far below the levels seen before the conflict. The Strait previously handled around one-fifth of global oil and LNG supplies and averaged roughly 125 vessel transits per day before the war.

The continued reduction in traffic reflects the growing security concerns surrounding the waterway. For seafarers, the combination of direct attacks, uncertainty over the identity of perpetrators, restricted navigation options and the absence of normal commercial traffic is creating an increasingly challenging operating environment.

Meanwhile, traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait stood at 22 vessels on Tuesday, compared with 24 a day earlier, also highlighting the continued security pressure across the region’s major maritime chokepoints.

Source: safety4sea.com