Thanks
ORAC
Going by the satellite image on the social media posts and having a look at the charts......the Iranians seem to have moved the "entrance" to the Strait of Hormuz further south in the Gulf of Oman again....there is even a toll collector mooching about too
Currently the only ship that bears a resemblance to the one mentioned as being attacked would be the Indian flagged Ripley Pinnacle, a bulker, that has been at anchor for the last 48+ hours and has lapsed the AIS a few times. She came from Yanbu, Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea and was going to Dibba....which is way south of her current plot. There has not been any word from India about one of their ships being attacked, so not sure about her current state.
There is another scenario for the burning ship and no reports being made, however. That ship could be a wreck that has been moved in order to block the Khasab Peninsular escape route (that was used by the 6 cruise ships and several other vessels). On the satellite image there are 5 fast vessels....4 travelling to the burning ship and one coming away from it. There are more than enough wrecked ships (over 40 at last count) for the Iranians to use as blockage points....think back to the Suez crisis of 1967 where ships were sunk strategically to block the canal. The potential is there for Iran to do the same tactic, afterall the Strait of Hormuz at its narrowest point is 21 miles, the water is relatively shallow on the outer areas, so sinking ships already severely damaged would not be an unfeasible game to play. One such ship...and given the position of the ship in the satellite image and her size...would be CMA CGM San Antonio.