Front Altair and Kokuka Courageous tankers set ablaze in Gulf of Oman attacks blamed on Iran
Incident Report
Fact Sheet
| Date | 13 Jun 2019 |
| Tracker | Strait of Hormuz Tensions |
| Type | Strike |
| Location |
Gulf of Oman
25.12, 56.33 (approximate) |
What Happened
On June 13, 2019, two tankers transiting the Gulf of Oman were struck in a second wave of attacks a month after the Fujairah sabotage. The Marshall Islands-flagged Front Altair, carrying naphtha, caught fire roughly 19 nautical miles off Iran's coast; the Panama-flagged Kokuka Courageous, carrying methanol, was hit about 21 nautical miles offshore. Both crews were evacuated and rescued by US and Iranian vessels; no fatalities were reported. US officials, citing intelligence and a video allegedly showing an IRGC boat removing an unexploded mine, blamed Iran. Iran denied responsibility.
Measured Footprint
| Series | That day | Prior 30-day avg | Week after vs before |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transits | 48 -30% | 68.6 | -11% (511 → 453) |
| Tankers | 30 -28% | 41.8 | -6% (298 → 280) |
| Cargo ships | 18 -33% | 26.8 | -19% (213 → 173) |
Daily figures from IMF PortWatch around June 13, 2019; the day's value is compared with the trailing 30-day average. Week comparisons are shown only when the series covers both full weeks.
Gulf of Oman
Marker placed at sea area precision.
Activity Around the Incident
Commercial ship transits of the Strait of Hormuz, two weeks either side
Daily counts from IMF PortWatch; the highlighted bar is the incident day, June 13, 2019.
Incidents Around the Same Period
Nearest logged incidents
| Date | Type | Incident |
|---|---|---|
| 12 May 2019 | Strike | Limpet mines damage four tankers off Fujairah, UAE, in suspected Iranian sabotage attack |
| 20 Jun 2019 | Interception | Iran shoots down US Navy RQ-4 Global Hawk drone over Strait of Hormuz |
| 19 Jul 2019 | Interception | Iran seizes British tanker Stena Impero in Strait of Hormuz, retaliating for Gibraltar's Grace 1 seizure |
| 4 Jan 2021 | Interception | Iran seizes South Korean tanker Hankuk Chemi near the Strait of Hormuz |