Bandar Abbas Naval Harbor Smoking from Multiple Hits

Iran Bandar Abbas harbor — Bandar Abbas Naval Harbor at 12.00 (UTC) on March 2 (Sentinel-2/CJRC) Yellow: berth of IRINS Kurdestan (K442). Red: berth recently of 2 x Moudge Class frigates. Blue: Berth area of IRINS Zagros (H313) and Hengam Class logistic vessels.

Imagery taken over Bandar Abbas at midday (UTC) on March 2 shows the Naval Harbor wreathed in black smoke. From the smoke pattern and dispersal, it appears that there have been at least three strikes on ships berthed in the harbor.

The heat spots are confirmed in NASA FIRMS imagery, which suggests that the heat spots were initiated perhaps up to 24 hours previously.

NASA FIRMS imagery dating from March 1 (FIRMS)

The regular Iranian Navy (Nedaja) has consistently moored classes of ships on particular berths in the Naval Harbor, making it easy to predict which ships lie beneath the smoke. Moreover, clear imagery of the harbor was obtained in the immediate days before the launch of Operation Epic Fury, so that one can make a good guess from which particular ships smoke is belching.

At its normal pier in the outer harbor, still afloat, is IRINS Kurdestan (K442), or possibly IRINS Makran (K441), still on fire at its stern. These two converted tankers have given the Nedaja the ability to provide logistic support for long-range deployments, a capability that the Nedaja lost when IRINS Kharg (K431) caught fire and sank in mysterious circumstances off the coast of Jask on June 2, 2021.

The dockside alongside which three Moudge Class frigates were moored several days ago is ablaze along its length. The vessels concerned, therefore, may be IRINS Sabalan (F73), IRINS Sahand (F74), and/or IRINS Jamaran (F76), which had been spotted moored here on February 27. It has been tentatively reported, however, that IRINS Jamaran (F76) was sunk alongside its berth at the Konarak Naval Base in Chah Bahar.

A large area of smoke covers the area where the Moudge Class intelligence collection frigate IRINS Zagros (H313) is normally berthed, which in turn is adjacent to a pier that normally is home to Hengam Class logistic vessels, veteran but heavily used in support of short and medium range deployments.

On the eastern side of the Naval Harbor, the piers which normally house Kaman Class fast attack craft, and Kilo and Fateh Class diesel electric submarines, are not covered by smoke. Potentially targets in this area could have sunk, hiding any indicators of attack beneath the waters of the harbor.

The evident damage apparent in the imagery of the harbor correlates with the statement from President Donald Trump that nine Iranian Navy ships have been destroyed in Operation Epic Fury. U.S. Central Command on Monday also claimed to have sunk the drone carrier Shahid Bagheri, saying U.S. forces had struck the ship within hours of launching Operation Epic Fury. However, it should be noted that these easy targets were all old ships, which tended to be used for conventional naval operations, rather than the missile-equipped speed boats and fast attack craft used by the IRGC Navy in harassment operations in the Straits of Hormuz.