Iran Claims Strike on Omani Navigation Aid Island Near Hormuz
Iran has claimed an attack on Didamar, also known as Little Quoin Island, a small rocky Omani island off the Musandam Peninsula at the entrance to the Persian Gulf. The island sits beside the southern shipping corridor of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, and has a lighthouse first set up in 1914.
According to reports published on 11 November, Iran’s military said people on the island were “helping the flow of oil smuggling by the enemy”. An official of the IRGC Navy told Iranian state media that navigation aid systems in the south of the strait had been destroyed. He also claimed that no ships Iran considers unauthorised used the route overnight.
From the CrewMirror Blog
Oman confirmed that a loud explosion was detected at the base on the island. Shore radar and radio equipment on Didamar is reportedly used to track vessels and coordinate traffic. Satellite images dated 8 November show scorch marks near this equipment, but they do not show the cause or which systems were hit. The extent of the damage has not been independently confirmed.
Iran treats ships using the southern corridor near the Omani coast as unauthorised. On 8 November, the IRGC Navy claimed two tankers caught fire after hitting mines on that route, though the ships were not named. The claim follows recent calls by the IMO chief for stronger safety enforcement at Hormuz, as attacks on merchant ships continue. Our guide on risks for crews in the Strait of Hormuz explains the wider situation.
CrewMirror Takeaway
If shore-based navigation aids and traffic monitoring near Musandam are out of action, bridge teams transiting the area should not rely on them and should cross-check positions with radar, visual bearings and other independent means. Masters should follow the latest UKMTO and flag State guidance before and during any Hormuz passage.
