24 seafarers killed in Hormuz region since war began, maritime body says
The International Maritime Organization estimates 121 incidents in Hormuz and the wider region since the war began, including 24 confirmed seafarer deaths, as commercial shipping continues through the strait.
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The International Maritime Organization estimates that 121 incidents have occurred in Hormuz and the wider region since the war began, including 24 confirmed seafarer deaths. The estimate does not concern a newly reported attack on a single ship. Bloomberg’s November 3 report, carried by gCaptain, does not specify the estimate’s cutoff, the precise boundaries of the wider region or what counts as an incident.
Iran has intermittently attacked commercial vessels while the US blockades Iranian oil exports. A US official told Bloomberg that Iran uses cruise missiles and drones against shipping, and that US forces organize and protect transits, largely with aircraft overhead.
Shipping continues at a higher cost
Shipments through the strait are at about 80% of prewar levels, Bloomberg said, while the risk has raised insurance costs. Separately, US Central Command says about 95% of ships pass through without incident. Those measures of shipping volume and transits differ from the maritime organization’s regional count since the war began.
Bloomberg counted a record at least 28 publicly available reports of damage to shipping in the strait in October. A US official with direct knowledge said Iran had not increased its volume of attacks; more serious damage had led to more incidents being flagged.
Supertanker owners earn tens of millions of dollars from transits, while crews receive several months’ pay for a few days of dangerous navigation, compensation that is for now sufficient to keep trade running, Bloomberg said. The US blockade has curtailed oil-export funding for Iran’s military and severely damaged its economy, with only a tiny fraction of prewar exports leaving by land; higher shipping costs have also kept US fuel prices high, stirring a political backlash ahead of the midterm elections, the report said.
Analysis
Strikes and negotiations
Trump has outlined plans for renewed attacks on Iran after the 3 November US midterm elections, while also expressing hope for negotiations. Jim Lamson, a visiting research fellow at King’s College London, said Iran’s stockpile of missile components would let it keep assembling anti-ship weapons even though US airstrikes have damaged its ability to manufacture them at scale.
Researcher Emma Salisbury said it was unclear whether airstrikes would change the situation in the strait, given Iran’s long preparations to protect key capabilities. Bloomberg Economics economist Ziad Daoud estimated that a surge in fighting could push oil prices into the $120–$130 range.
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