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Conflict Trackers ·Strait of Hormuz Tensions ·Jul 19, 2019

Iran seizes British tanker Stena Impero in Strait of Hormuz, retaliating for Gibraltar's Grace 1 seizure

Incident Report

Fact Sheet
Date19 Jul 2019
TrackerStrait of Hormuz Tensions
TypeInterception
Location Strait of Hormuz
26.18, 56.25 (approximate)
What Happened

On July 19, 2019, Iran's IRGC Navy seized the British-flagged tanker Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz using small boats and a helicopter, diverting it to Bandar Abbas. Iran cited alleged maritime violations, including a collision with a fishing boat, but the move was widely read as retaliation for British Royal Marines' July 4 seizure of the Iranian tanker Grace 1 off Gibraltar over suspected sanctions-busting oil shipments to Syria. The tanker's 23 crew members were held aboard through the standoff; London called the seizure 'a hostile act.' The tanker was released after roughly two months.

Sources
BBC News CNBC
Measured Footprint
Series That day Prior 30-day avg Week after vs before
Transits 68 -14% 79.2 -9% (535 → 486)
Tankers 43 -8% 46.8 -4% (309 → 298)
Cargo ships 25 -23% 32.4 -17% (226 → 188)
Daily figures from IMF PortWatch around July 19, 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.
Strait of Hormuz
Strait of Hormuz
Marker placed at sea area precision.
Related
Strait of Hormuz Tensions Full incident log Strait of Hormuz Ship Transits in 2019

Activity Around the Incident

Commercial ship transits of the Strait of Hormuz, two weeks either side
July 5, 2019 — 75 transits Jul 5 July 6, 2019 — 102 transits 102 July 7, 2019 — 83 transits July 8, 2019 — 79 transits July 9, 2019 — 64 transits Jul 9 July 10, 2019 — 54 transits July 11, 2019 — 86 transits July 12, 2019 — 95 transits July 13, 2019 — 59 transits Jul 13 July 14, 2019 — 76 transits July 15, 2019 — 84 transits July 16, 2019 — 77 transits July 17, 2019 — 75 transits Jul 17 July 18, 2019 — 69 transits July 19, 2019 — 68 transits (incident day) 68 Jul 19 July 20, 2019 — 53 transits July 21, 2019 — 87 transits Jul 21 July 22, 2019 — 83 transits July 23, 2019 — 68 transits July 24, 2019 — 66 transits July 25, 2019 — 61 transits Jul 25 July 26, 2019 — 73 transits July 27, 2019 — 57 transits July 28, 2019 — 73 transits July 29, 2019 — 81 transits Jul 29 July 30, 2019 — 55 transits July 31, 2019 — 74 transits August 1, 2019 — 83 transits August 2, 2019 — 83 transits Aug 2
Daily counts from IMF PortWatch; the highlighted bar is the incident day, July 19, 2019.
Nearest logged incidents
Date Type Incident
12 May 2019 Strike Limpet mines damage four tankers off Fujairah, UAE, in suspected Iranian sabotage attack
13 Jun 2019 Strike Front Altair and Kokuka Courageous tankers set ablaze in Gulf of Oman attacks blamed on Iran
20 Jun 2019 Interception Iran shoots down US Navy RQ-4 Global Hawk drone over Strait of Hormuz
4 Jan 2021 Interception Iran seizes South Korean tanker Hankuk Chemi near the Strait of Hormuz

← Jun 2019: Iran shoots down US Navy RQ-4 Global Hawk drone over Strait…
Jan 2021: Iran seizes South Korean tanker Hankuk Chemi near the Strai… →