LONDON: GASLOG SHANGHAI, a Bermuda-flagged LNG tanker carrying Qatari LNG, was struck by a likely Iranian projectile approximately 11 nautical miles northeast of Limah on July 31, marking the second confirmed hit on Qatari LNG cargo in a month. The IRGC claimed it struck and disabled two tankers attempting the southern corridor under U.S. air escort and forced four more to turn back after warnings. MINOAN GLORY was forced into a real-time U-turn by the IRGC Navy in a video the IRGC released itself.
In the Red Sea, 22 Chinese-linked vessels transited Bab el-Mandeb and called at Saudi ports between July 20 and August 2 without a single incident, while the Houthis struck four Saudi tankers in the same window. Saudi Arabia announced a 14-country maritime coalition headquartered in Riyadh, and six Saudi-flagged VLCCs are now diverting via the Cape of Good Hope. Yanbu King Fahd port has sustained fully dark operations continuously since July 27.
The Damietta drone strike on two LNG tankers on July 29 is assessed as an Iranian retaliatory operation linked to the Ukraine-Caspian strike rather than the Houthi campaign, extending Iranian action beyond the Gulf and Red Sea theaters for the first time.
Windward assesses the operational risk environment across the Strait of Hormuz, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, northern Arabian Gulf, and eastern Mediterranean as critical, with kinetic escalation now spanning three theaters simultaneously, differential access rules visibly operating for Chinese-linked tonnage on both fronts, and structural commercial disruption compounding across the region.
At a Glance
GASLOG SHANGHAI, a Bermuda-flagged LNG tanker carrying Qatari LNG, was struck by a likely Iranian projectile approximately 11 nautical miles northeast of Limah, Oman, on July 31, the second confirmed hit on Qatari LNG cargo in a month.
The IRGC claimed it struck and disabled two tankers attempting the southern corridor under U.S. air escort and forced four more to turn back after warnings.
MINOAN GLORY, a Liberia-flagged bulk carrier, was forced into a real-time U-turn by the IRGC Navy and has been AIS-dark since July 31.
Twenty-two Chinese-linked vessels transited Bab el-Mandeb and called at Saudi ports between July 20 and August 2 without a single incident.
Over the same window, the Houthis struck four Saudi tankers, including ENCELIA, LAYLA, NCC MASA, and NCC GHAZAL.
Saudi Arabia announced a 14-country multinational maritime coalition on July 30, headquartered in Riyadh and mandated to protect the Bab el-Mandeb, Red Sea, and Gulf of Aden.
Six Saudi-flagged tankers are routing via the Cape of Good Hope, with one Taiwan-to-Yanbu voyage roughly doubling from 24 to 56 days.
Yanbu King Fahd Industrial Port has sustained fully dark operations continuously since July 27.
Source: WINDWARD
