What happened

The International Maritime Organization lists the oil tanker EL GAIA (IMO 9325336) as damaged in the Strait of Hormuz on 12 September, with pollution of unknown extent and two seafarers missing. This establishes a named vessel casualty, correcting the initial unverified 'ALGAYA' identity; it does not establish the cause, an uncontrolled fire, total vessel loss or the pollution quantity. The IRGC later claimed the tanker struck sea mines in a restricted southern route and was engulfed by fire. CENTCOM rejected the mine account, saying the vessel had been disabled by an Iranian missile in the preceding month and was struck again by an Iranian drone while stationary off Oman; CENTCOM also described towing efforts. Neither the claimed mine strike nor CENTCOM's two-strike chronology has been independently established in the reviewed reporting, and vessel tracking has raised questions about the timing. The IMO's 12 September record and these later statements must not be counted as three confirmed attacks. The marker is approximate because no verified impact coordinate was published.

When cited sources give different casualty, damage or spill figures for this event, they’re reported side by side above rather than merged into one number. See how confidence levels work.