A crew member lost their life when an unidentified projectile struck the port quarter of the Greek-owned tanker Velos Sapphire on Thursday, igniting an onboard blaze. At the same time, regional waters experienced widespread disruptions, with Iranian media reporting that five tankers and a tugboat had struck mines. The following day, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared that two more tankers caught fire after hitting mines while attempting to navigate the passage.
Key points
Commercial maritime navigation faces severe risks from both targeted projectile strikes a…: Commercial maritime navigation faces severe risks from both targeted projectile strikes and widespread mine placements in Gulf waters.
Iranian military forces are actively monitoring vessels attempting to transit the Strait…: Iranian military forces are actively monitoring vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz with American military backing.
Fatalities and ship fires demonstrate a sharp escalation in danger for merchant crews ope…: Fatalities and ship fires demonstrate a sharp escalation in danger for merchant crews operating within critical oil transit corridors.
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A seafarer was killed when a Greek-owned oil tanker was struck by a projectile in the Gulf, its owner said on Friday, as Iran said several tankers had caught fire after hitting mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Marshall Islands-flagged Velos Sapphire was sailing empty to Bahrain when it was hit on Thursday, Athens-based Velos Tankers said in a statement carried by the Greek news agency ANA.
The company said an unidentified projectile likely caused the explosion after striking the vessel’s port quarter and starting a fire.
Iranian media reported on Thursday that five oil tankers and a tugboat had caught fire after hitting mines in the strait.
On Friday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said two more “violating” tankers had struck mines and were on fire, one east of the strait and the other inside it.
“The two tankers had deactivated all of their navigation and identification systems and were attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz… with the support of the aggressor and terrorist American military,” the IRGC said in a statement.
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