Clear imagery taken on March 4 of the full length of the ship hit in an attack on the outer basin of Bandar Abbas Naval Harbor three days beforehand confirms that the ship in question, measuring 229 meters, is IRINS Makran (K441).
The vessel is still well afloat, but smoke is still issuing from the bridge and aftercastle area of the converted tanker, where it appears to have been hit. The imagery did not pick up any indication of repair or damage control parties at work.
This particular pier has sometimes been shared by the newly-converted IRINS Kurdestan (K442). Both ships were seen alongside each other on the pier on November 20 last year. Of the two vessels, IRINS Kurdestan – if it is still afloat and operational elsewhere – is a useful capability for what remains of the Iranian Navy, being smaller and more maneuverable than the ungainly IRINS Makran, and hence better suited to replenishment at sea work.
IRINS Makran and Kurdestan tied up alongside each other in the Bandar Abbas outer basin on November 20, showing their comparative sizes (Sentinel-2/CJRC)
Elsewhere within the Naval Harbor, the dockside where at least two frigates were attacked shows signs of smoke damage – but no sign of the ships that had been alongside on March 1. Similarly, in the imagery from March 4, there is smoke damage but no sign of a submarine or something sunken at the berth where a Kilo Class boat is normally berthed.
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Source : The Maritime Executive
