Two Filipino sailors were killed after a Saudi oil tanker came under attack while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia’s national shipping company, Bahri, said Wednesday.
The company said its vessel, SIDR, was involved in a security incident late Monday while sailing through the strategic waterway, confirming the deaths of the two Filipino seafarers.
“Bahri confirms that its vessel SIDR was involved in a security incident while transiting the Strait of Hormuz” late on Monday, the carrier said on X, confirming “the loss of its two Filipino seafarers”.
A Greek maritime security firm, Marisks, had earlier reported that “unknown projectiles” struck the vessel on Monday.
The incident comes as fighting between the United States and Iran has intensified following six months of conflict, with the Strait of Hormuz emerging as a major flashpoint.
Iran has disrupted maritime traffic through the waterway with a blockade, while the United States continues a counter-blockade targeting Iranian ports.
Two oil tankers were reportedly struck by unidentified projectiles overnight Monday into Tuesday while transiting the Strait, according to Marisks.
Both vessels had loaded about two million barrels of crude at Juaymah on Saudi Arabia’s eastern coast the previous week, according to Kpler data.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Wednesday that two oil tankers caught fire after striking mines while passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest incidents follow renewed US attacks on Iran this week, with Tehran responding with attacks across the Gulf, mainly targeting US assets.
Iran has said it intends to charge service fees for passage through the strategic waterway and has attacked vessels it accuses of attempting to bypass its preferred route.
The Strait of Hormuz was previously open to commercial traffic, but attacks on ships have become a major source of tension in the conflict and contributed to the collapse of an April ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
The waterway is a critical global energy route, making renewed attacks on commercial vessels a growing security concern for international shipping and oil markets.
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