Gulf attacks, a Somali hijack and drones in the Black Sea
14 incidents in seven days, eight of them in the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Gulf. Every incident is sourced and plotted on the map.
This week at a glance
Incidents by region · Palaemon summary
High activity8Gulf of Aden & Somali Basin
Elevated3Black Sea
Active2South-East Asia
Active1Red Sea & Bab el-Mandeb
Quiet0Gulf of Guinea
Quiet0Americas
Quiet0
Counts are Palaemon's own tally of the incidents listed in this report. The Palaemon summary is based only on this week's count: 0 = Quiet, 1–2 = Active, 3–5 = Elevated, 6 or more = High activity. It is not a threat assessment.
Where it happened
Tap a marker for the summary. Positions are approximate, taken from the source reports.
Region by region
All times are UTC. Vessel types are as reported. We don't name vessels.
Strait of Hormuz & Arabian Gulf
High activityTanker
Northern Arabian Gulf, 63 NM south-east of Al-Faw, Iraq
UKMTO received multiple third-party reports of a vessel on fire. Crew status, damage and environmental impact were unknown at the time of the report; authorities are investigating.
Source: UKMTO incident 183
Dhow
Strait of Hormuz, 9 NM north of Khasab, Oman
The master of a third-party vessel reported another vessel on fire. UKMTO later confirmed it was a dhow involved in a maritime security incident; the fire caused it to list and sink. Local authorities confirmed the crew were safely evacuated.
Source: UKMTO incident 185
Tanker
Strait of Hormuz, outbound transit
A Company Security Officer informed UKMTO that their tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while completing an outbound transit. No injuries to crew and no environmental impact were reported.
Source: UKMTO incident 186
Tanker
Strait of Hormuz, 25 NM north-east of Khasab, Oman
A tanker on an outbound transit was approached on the port side by a small boat, which attached two explosive devices to the hull above the waterline. The blasts caused an engine-room fire that temporarily disabled the vessel. The fire was extinguished, the crew are safe, no pollution was reported and the vessel continued to its next port of call.
Source: UKMTO incident 187
Merchant vessel (type not stated)
Central Arabian Gulf, 40 NM south of Lavan Island, Iran
A vessel was hit on the port side by an unknown projectile, causing a fire on board. The crew were reported safe and no environmental impact was reported.
Source: UKMTO incident 188
Crude oil tanker
Strait of Hormuz, outbound transit
A verified source told UKMTO that a crude oil tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while completing an outbound transit. This was a time-late report: UKMTO logged it at 20:11 UTC on 30 Oct and did not state when the strike happened. Clearwater Dynamics dates the incident 28 Oct.
Tug
Strait of Hormuz, north-west of the Musandam Peninsula
The master of a merchant vessel relayed a Mayday call on VHF Channel 16 reporting that another vessel had been struck by an unknown projectile. The time shown is UKMTO's record; The Maritime Executive, citing UKMTO, reported that the strike on an Emirati-owned offshore tug happened just after 15:00 UTC.
Source: UKMTO incident 191; The Maritime Executive
Tanker
Northern Arabian Gulf, 72 NM east of Ras Al Khafji, Saudi Arabia
A tanker heading south-east through the Arabian Gulf was struck on the port side by two unknown projectiles. All crew are accounted for and no environmental impact was reported. The Maritime Executive, citing Vanguard Tech, reported that the vessel lost all power. UKMTO has not confirmed this.
Source: UKMTO incident 192; The Maritime Executive
Gulf of Aden & Somali Basin
ElevatedSmall craft near merchant vessels
Gulf of Aden, approx. 12°42'N 047°35'E
Several suspicious small craft were sighted operating near merchant vessels. One was a green and blue boat with two ladders, one hook and nine people on board, reported heading south at 10–18 knots. MSCIO issued alert 156/26. UKMTO advised vessels to follow BMP Maritime Security (BMP MS, June 2026 edition) and report suspicious activity.
Source: UKMTO incident 184; Clearwater Dynamics (MSCIO 156/26)
Iran-flagged fishing vessel
Off north-east Somalia, between Bandarbayla and Hafun, Puntland
MSCIO reported that armed pirates hijacked an Iran-flagged fishing vessel. Twelve pirates reportedly boarded. The vessel reportedly carried 21 Iranian crew and two Somali armed guards, and MSCIO warned it could be used as a mothership. On 31 Oct (18:48 UTC) UKMTO recorded the boarding of a large fishing vessel near 09°54'N 053°03'E and reclassified it as a hijack. UKMTO does not name that vessel. Palaemon counts the two reports as one incident.
Merchant vessel
Gulf of Aden (position not published)
A merchant vessel underway was approached by two suspicious craft. One, a fast skiff with four people on board and a mounted machine gun, closed to about 300 m astern. It broke off after the embarked armed security team showed their weapons. No shots were fired and there was no boarding attempt. The date is the date MSCIO reported it.
Source: Clearwater Dynamics (MSCIO)
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Black Sea
ActiveLiberia-flagged container ship
Black Sea, ~21 NM south-east of Shabla, near Cape Kaliakra, Bulgaria (Bulgarian EEZ)
Bulgaria's Defence Minister said three maritime drones struck the ship a little before 13:00 local time, on passage from Haifa to Constanța. The crew of 18 evacuated and were recovered by the Bulgarian Navy and border police. Open sources later reported that the vessel sank.
Source: AP via ABC News; Clearwater Dynamics
Cargo vessel
Black Sea, ~58 km (31 NM) south of Odesa, Ukraine
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces struck a cargo vessel it described as "used for military purposes". This has not been independently verified. A separate Russian attack in the Odesa region injured four people, according to a local official.
Source: Reuters via A News
South-East Asia
ActiveGeneral cargo ship
Belawan Anchorage, Indonesia
Robbers boarded the forward part of an anchored general cargo ship. When a crew member went to investigate, one robber approached him and made threats. The officer of the watch raised the alarm. The robbers escaped down a rope into a waiting boat with ship's stores.
Source: IMB PRC live piracy map, 055-26
Red Sea & Bab el-Mandeb
QuietGulf of Guinea
QuietAmericas
QuietThe week in numbers
Advisories: new and in force
New this week
- NEW28 OctJMIC shared a US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) update on enforcing the blockade of Iranian ports and coastlines. Neutral vessels in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz may be questioned, visited and searched. Vessels are advised to keep a continuous listening watch on VHF Channel 16, follow directions from US forces, and have clearance and cargo documents ready in PDF. Source: Clearwater Dynamics (JMIC/UKMTO)
- NEW28 OctMSCIO alert 156/26: suspected pirate action group in the Gulf of Aden. UKMTO advises vessels to follow BMP Maritime Security (BMP MS, June 2026 edition) and report all suspicious activity to MSCIO and UKMTO. Source: UKMTO incident 184
- NEW26 Oct – 2 NovUKMTO logged 10 incident reports (numbers 183 to 192) in the reporting window. Source: UKMTO recent incidents
Advisories in force
- MARAD 2026-011Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman: Iranian attacks on commercial vessels · in force 9 Sep 2026 – 8 Mar 2027
- MARAD 2026-013Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea and Somali Basin: Houthi attacks on commercial vessels · in force 23 Sep 2026 – 22 Mar 2027
- MARAD 2026-010Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean: piracy, armed robbery and kidnap for ransom · in force 7 Aug 2026 – 4 Feb 2027
- MARAD 2026-012Black Sea and Sea of Azov: military combat operations · in force 23 Sep 2026 – 22 Mar 2027
- MARAD 2026-009Gulf of Guinea: piracy, armed robbery and kidnap for ransom · in force 24 Jun 2026 – 21 Dec 2026
- MARAD 2026-014Worldwide: foreign adversarial technological, physical and cyber influence · in force 21 Oct 2026 – 19 Apr 2027
- GuidanceBMP Maritime Security (BMP MS, June 2026 edition) is the industry guidance UKMTO and MSCIO refer vessels to.
Also reported (not in the count)
- Strait of Hormuz: Press reports say a Qatari-owned LNG carrier's accommodation block was hit by an unknown projectile during a Hormuz transit late last week. Its operator said in a stock-exchange filing that the ship is in "safe condition, operational". These reports have not been matched to a specific UKMTO report. Source: The Maritime Executive
- Strait of Hormuz: On 30 Oct, Iran's IRGC said three oil tankers "encountered incidents" while using routes Tehran considers unauthorised, and were stopped. It gave no names, flags or causes. Source: Euronews / AP
- Strait of Hormuz: A product tanker was reportedly intercepted by the IRGC Navy and allowed to reverse course without damage (late last week, per the EOS Risk Group list cited by The Maritime Executive). Source: The Maritime Executive
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Sources
- UKMTO incident report 183
- UKMTO incident report 185
- UKMTO incident report 186
- UKMTO incident report 187
- UKMTO incident report 188
- UKMTO incident report 189
- Clearwater Dynamics: crude oil tanker attack, Strait of Hormuz
- UKMTO incident report 191
- The Maritime Executive: Offshore tug hit in latest attack in Strait of Hormuz (1 Nov 2026)
- UKMTO incident report 192
- UKMTO incident report 184
- Clearwater Dynamics: suspected PAG, Gulf of Aden (MSCIO 156/26)
- Clearwater Dynamics: fishing vessel hijacked off Somalia (MSCIO)
- UKMTO incident report 190
- Clearwater Dynamics: armed skiff approach, Gulf of Aden (MSCIO)
- AP via ABC News: Drones strike a container ship off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast
- Clearwater Dynamics: container ship struck, Black Sea
- Reuters via A News: Russia hits military facility in Odesa region, cargo vessel at sea (2 Nov 2026)
- IMB Piracy Reporting Centre: live piracy map
- Euronews / AP: IRGC reports tankers on fire in Strait of Hormuz (30 Oct 2026)
- Clearwater Dynamics: US blockade enforcement update (JMIC/NAVCENT)
- UKMTO recent incidents
- MARAD advisories
- MARAD 2026-009
- ReCAAP ISC list of incidents 2026
- ReCAAP ISC (2026 incident count)
Method: this report covers incidents with a reported date between 09:00 UTC on 26 Oct and 09:00 UTC on 2 Nov 2026. It uses UKMTO's incident feed, the IMB PRC live piracy map, ReCAAP ISC, MSCIO alerts (as relayed by Clearwater Dynamics), MARAD advisories and reputable press. The count is Palaemon's own tally of the incidents listed. Press-only reports that could not be matched to an official report are listed separately and are not counted. Positions on the map are approximate.
This report sets out reported incidents only. It is not a risk assessment or advice for a specific voyage. Coastlines: Natural Earth (public domain).