CURRENT INTELLIGENCE · V2
Maritime Energy & Supply Chains Desk · Signal
Kuwait Oil Tanker Company VLCC Al Funtas Struck in Strait of Hormuz on September 28, Fire Reported After Projectile Hit
Record added
The Kuwait Oil Tanker Company-managed VLCC Al Funtas, a 316,648 deadweight tonne crude carrier built in 2014, suffered a fire after being struck by a suspected projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on the evening of Monday, September 28, 2026, according to Lloyd's List, The Maritime Executive, and Windward. The vessel was transiting with its Automatic Identification System switched off and did not directly report the attack to UK Marine Trade Operations or MSCIO; security services received information late from a third party. The attacker has not been identified, and the vessel was not on the Iranian Persian Gulf Strait Authority's published non-compliant list. Crew status and extent of damage have not been publicly confirmed.
The strike marks the resumption of attacks in the Strait after a lull of nearly a week and follows President Trump's rejection of overtures from Iran through Qatari mediators. It demonstrates continuing risk to state-subsidized tanker operations that have maintained covert transits through the waterway despite the seven-month crisis. Kuwait Oil Tanker Company now has five vessels on Iran's expanded 77-vessel blacklist, including the Kaifan on the original list and four recent additions: Burgan, Al Salam II, Al Riqqa, and Al Kout, two of which have been previously targeted. The incident underscores the fragility of the current dark-shuttle system and raises the risk premium for continued operations, particularly if casualties occur or vessels sink.
Sources
Lloyd's List, "KOTC tanker struck in Strait of Hormuz," published September 30, 2026, lloydslist.com; The Maritime Executive, "Kuwaiti Tanker Struck in the Strait of Hormuz," published September 30, 2026, maritime-executive.com; Windward Daily Intelligence, "Strait of Hormuz," accessed September 30, 2026, insights.windward.ai; Straits.Live, "Strait of Hormuz Status: September 30, 2026," published September 30, 2026, straits.live; Seatrade Maritime, "Iran expands Strait of Hormuz blacklist to 77 ships," published September 2026, seatrade-maritime.com
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The record date indicates when this Signal was added, rather than the date of the reported event.