VLCC Kiku struck in Strait of Hormuz, UKMTO raises threat level to 'substantial'
At 08:00 UTC on June 27, an unidentified projectile hit the 300,866-tonne crude carrier Kiku, laden with 2 million barrels of oil; the crew escaped injury but the bridge sustained damage, and the UK maritime agency upgraded the waterway's threat rating within hours
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Summary
A very large crude carrier, the Kiku, was struck by an unidentified projectile in the southern corridor of the Strait of Hormuz at 08:00 UTC on June 27, hours after the IRGC fired drones at the US 5th Fleet base in Bahrain. The 300,866-tonne vessel was carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil; the bridge sustained damage but no crew were injured and no pollution was reported. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency raised the strait's threat level to "substantial" in response, the second-highest in the UKMTO scale. The attack is the third incident in the waterway since the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding was signed on June 17, following the Ever Lovely strike on June 25 and US retaliatory strikes on Iran on June 26.
Why it matters
A VLCC carrying 2 million barrels represents a potential environmental and market catastrophe. Iran's pattern of hitting ships immediately after each US retaliation signals that the June 17 MoU has not stabilised the waterway, and the UKMTO upgrade will likely drive up war-risk insurance premiums and deter some tanker operators from transiting.