Abu Dhabi National Oil Company says 15 missile and drone attacks have hit its vessels in the Strait of Hormuz since February, killing one crew member and injuring 20 others. ADNOC's chief executive calls the campaign economic terrorism, and war-risk insurers are already repricing tankers crossing the world's most important oil transit chokepoint.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company has documented 15 separate missile and drone attacks on its vessels in the Strait of Hormuz since the Iran-UAE conflict began, a campaign that has killed one crew member and injured 20 others. ADNOC CEO Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber has characterized the assault as economic terrorism in violation of international maritime law.
Escalating strikes since February
Iran launched its first strikes against the UAE on February 28, 2026, reportedly in retaliation for coordinated US and Israeli military actions against Iranian territory. ADNOC's tanker Barakah was struck by drones on May 4, 2026, though that incident caused no crew casualties.
The attacks turned deadlier on July 14, 2026, when Iranian cruise missiles hit the very large crude carriers Mombasa B and Al Bahyah in Omani waters, killing one crew member and injuring eight others.
A wider air campaign
The ADNOC strikes sit inside a broader Iranian offensive against the UAE. Since February 28, UAE air defenses have intercepted 537 ballistic missiles, 2,256 drones and 26 cruise missiles, according to figures compiled through early April 2026. Total conflict casualties across the UAE reached 15 killed and 246 wounded as of early April 2026.
With over 2,000 drones deployed, Iran appears to be pursuing a volume-over-precision strategy that saturates UAE air defenses, raising the odds that some missiles or drones get through. Still, the numbers have not shown a decisive blow to ADNOC's production capacity, at least through the period covered by available reporting — the company's output has continued despite the security environment.
Insurance costs climb as war risk rises
Sustained attacks on VLCC-class tankers carry outsized weight for crude oil markets because each vessel moves enormous volumes per trip; a single strike that disables or contaminates a cargo can pull meaningful supply from the market within hours. Insurance costs for vessels transiting the region have risen sharply as war-risk underwriters reassess their exposure, and those higher premiums flow into shipping costs that eventually surface in delivered oil and fuel prices worldwide.
For energy investors, the question now is whether ADNOC's resilience holds against sustained geopolitical risk in the Gulf. The company has absorbed 15 attacks so far without a major disruption to output.
Source: Crypto Briefing
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