A seafarer has been killed after a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker managed by V.Ships Asia was struck by a projectile off Muscat, Oman, in the latest surge of violence to hit commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The fatal attack occurred as tensions deepened in the strategic waterway following Iran’s warning on 28 February that the strait was closed to vessels. According to the UK Maritime Trade Operations, the tanker was hit while under way, with the blast claiming the life of a crew member who had been working in the engine room at the time.
The company confirmed that no other crew were injured and said the vessel remained afloat, with arrangements being made to tow it to a safe location. V.Ships Asia said it was providing support to the deceased seafarer’s family.
The killing marks a grim escalation in a series of incidents targeting merchant vessels in the region. In separate attacks, the Gibraltar-flagged Hercules Star was struck by a projectile north-west of Mina Saqr in the UAE, igniting a fire that was later extinguished, while the Liberia-flagged Ocean Electra reported an explosion close to the ship west of Sharjah. A further vessel is said to have experienced a near miss.
Earlier, the tanker Skylight was hit near Khasab Port in Oman, leaving four crew injured.
The mounting toll on civilian shipping has drawn condemnation from International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, who said no attack on innocent seafarers can ever be justified.
Dominguez stressed that crews are simply carrying out their duties and must be shielded from geopolitical conflict, adding that freedom of navigation under international maritime law must be upheld without exception.
The widening threat has prompted leading container lines, including MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, Maersk, CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd, to suspend sailings through the Arabian Gulf, instructing vessels to seek safe shelter until further notice.