A projectile strike on Oct. 2 caused a power blackout and fire on a vessel navigating the Strait of Hormuz, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations. The targeted ship is a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) transporting 2.5 million barrels of oil that was hit while transiting outbound. Crew members extinguished the flames and the ship resumed its journey without reports of casualties or environmental leaks, while Landsat-9 satellite imagery identified the vessel's location at coordinates 26.3919, 56.4252.

The incident is part of an accelerating pattern of attacks attributed to Iran, marking at least seven targeted tankers in the last five days. The supertanker was under US escort in the southern Omani corridor when hit, joining other recent targets including a Panama-flagged tanker on Oct. 2 and three Liberian-flagged ships on Tuesday. Shipping analysts note that while the frequency of strikes is increasing, regional oil flows have not yet been notably depressed.