Tanker incident in the Strait of Hormuz ends in deaths

The security incident involving the Saudi supertanker Sidr, which was sailing in the Strait of Hormuz, led to the deaths of two Filipino seafarers. Bahri, the ship's owner, confirmed that the vessel was affected by an incident while transiting the strait on Monday night, and Riyadh blamed Iran for the attack.

Saudi national shipping company Bahri said in a statement on Wednesday that Sidr was involved in the incident at around 11:40 p.m. local time on Monday. Maritime security companies Marisks and Kpler said the ship was hit by unknown projectiles north of Oman's Musandam Peninsula, while Senegal Prosperity, owned by South Korean interests, was struck around the same time east of Musandam.

  • Sidr was reportedly hit about 16 nautical miles northeast of Oman's city of Khasab.
  • For Senegal Prosperity, three unknown projectiles were reported about 17 nautical miles to the east; both tankers were carrying around 2 million barrels of Saudi crude oil.

Riyadh blames Iran, Tehran offers a different account

Bahri said two Filipino sailors lost their lives in the incident. Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry also said Sidr was targeted by Iran while passing through the strait, calling for respect for the safety of international navigation, energy supplies and state sovereignty.

Iran did not directly respond to Saudi Arabia's accusation. However, it previously claimed that two tankers using an unauthorized route in the strait caught fire after hitting mines; the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency also recorded two separate incidents in the same areas.

Military tensions in the region are pressuring energy shipping

The incident came just after the US military launched new airstrikes on Iran and Iranian forces targeted US bases in neighboring Arab countries with missiles and drones. Iran's health minister said on Wednesday that 18 people were killed and 108 were injured, while Tehran accused Washington of committing a war crime after claiming four people were killed in an attack on a wedding in the city of Sirik. The US military said it was reviewing the claims.

About one-fifth of the world's oil and gas shipments normally pass through the Strait of Hormuz. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Monday that 17 million barrels of oil were transported through the strait that day, the highest daily volume recorded since the war began.