Strait of Hormuz ship attacks likely exceed reported numbers, IMO warns

The true scale of maritime strikes targeting vessels in the Strait of Hormuz is likely underreported, according to the head of the United Nations maritime body.

Speaking at the International Maritime Organization's annual council meeting on Monday, Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez stated that official counts understate the danger because many targeted vessels fail to report incidents. Unregistered vessels, ships utilizing deceptive flags, and tankers that disable their Automatic Identification System trackers often conceal when they come under fire.

Official records maintained by the IMO document at least 125 strikes against commercial vessels within the critical chokepoint and adjacent waters since armed conflict erupted between the United States and Iran in late February. The pace of hostilities has intensified sharply, with October registering 34 strikes, the highest monthly tally since the conflict began.

Dominguez explained that authorities frequently only learn about incidents involving shadow vessels when nearby coastal nations are called upon to conduct emergency rescue operations.

Maritime safety concerns remain severe. Although US Central Command leader Admiral Brad Cooper recently stated that primary transit channels in the waterway had been cleared of sea mines, Dominguez countered that the IMO cannot independently verify those claims. As a result, the agency continues to advise commercial operators to avoid the passage entirely, noting that between 350 and 400 merchant vessels remain trapped in the Arabian Gulf.

Despite the advisories, approximately 12 ships per day still attempt the crossing. Standard commercial traffic generally navigates near the Omani coastline, whereas illicit shadow tankers typically hug the Iranian shore in shallower waters to evade interdiction.

The security crisis has also reverberated across wider regional shipping lanes. IMO statistics show that Houthi forces in Yemen have conducted four commercial vessel attacks in 2026, while pirate networks operating in the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean have mounted 19 confirmed attacks this year.

Addressing diplomatic developments, Dominguez said the IMO firmly opposes an Iranian initiative to impose mandatory transit tolls in the strait. However, he indicated potential openness to a separate proposal being discussed by Oman and Iran that would establish voluntary financial contributions from maritime operators, similar to anti-piracy cost-sharing frameworks used in the Strait of Malacca, subject to member-state approval once hostilities conclude.