New Delhi: A seafarer was killed after an explosion struck the Marshall Islands-flagged oil-products tanker MT Velos Sapphire in the Persian Gulf early on Thursday. The Greek-managed vessel was travelling empty towards Bahrain when an unidentified projectile appeared to strike its port quarter (rear left side), causing a fire that the crew extinguished.
Athens-based Velos Tankers confirmed the death on Friday, saying the crew member was initially reported missing before being found fatally injured aboard the vessel. No other injuries or pollution were reported, according to Reuters. The sailor’s identity and nationality have not been disclosed.
The tanker later proceeded to Bahrain’s Khalifa Bin Salman Port, where an investigation was planned. The extent of damage to its hull was still being assessed, according to the vessel’s operator.
Although initial reports described a suspected missile attack, the company referred to an unidentified projectile. Neither the weapon involved nor responsibility for the strike has been independently established.
The incident came amid mounting threats to commercial shipping around the Strait of Hormuz. On Friday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said two oil tankers had caught fire after striking naval mines, following earlier Iranian reports of fires aboard five other tankers and a tugboat.
The IRGC said the vessels had used unauthorized shipping routes with their navigation and identification systems switched off while receiving US military support. These accounts have not been independently corroborated by maritime authorities.
Separately, UK Maritime Trade Operations reported on Friday that another tanker had an explosion near its port-side waterline, about 16 nautical miles east of Khasab, Oman. All crew members were safe, and the vessel continued under its own power, although the agency said the report was delayed.
The latest incidents follow the November 2 attack on the Indian-flagged vessel MSV Al Jusufi off Oman, which killed a sailor from Gujarat, Nahim Ajij Gandhar. Another 13 Indian crew members were rescued, as RNA Media reported earlier.
Since the West Asia conflict began on February 28, Iran has sought to restrict shipping through Hormuz, while the US has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports and escorted commercial vessels.
US Central Command said in October that American operations had helped Gulf countries export 1.5 billion barrels of oil through Hormuz since the summer. The US military has also said that mines were cleared from the waterway, which contradicts Iran’s accounts of recent mine strikes.