Two Filipino sailors were killed in an attack on an oil tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, Saudi state-owned shipping company Bahri said Wednesday.
Bahri confirmed that the Sidr was involved in a “security incident” while sailing through the strategic waterway on the evening of August 31, resulting in the deaths of the two Filipino crew members.
The Greek maritime agency Marisks said Tuesday that the tanker had been struck by projectiles of unknown origin as it was leaving the Strait of Hormuz.
Another tanker, the Liberia-flagged Senegal Property, was also reportedly targeted, according to the same source.
The incidents come amid mounting tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy corridor through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and petroleum liquids passed before the latest escalation in the Middle East.
Iran has effectively restricted traffic through the strait since the outbreak of the latest regional war, triggered in late February by Israeli and US strikes against Iran. The United States subsequently imposed a blockade on Iranian ports.
Tehran has said it intends to impose service fees on vessels using the waterway and has repeatedly targeted ships it accuses of attempting to bypass an Iranian-designated route running along its coastline.
The repeated attacks have further destabilized maritime traffic in one of the world's most important energy chokepoints, with shipping companies facing growing risks as they attempt to navigate the area.
On Wednesday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that two oil tankers had caught fire after hitting mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier, Iran also claimed responsibility for large-scale strikes against US military bases across the region, describing them as retaliation for a new wave of American attacks.
The latest incidents underscore the growing threat to commercial shipping in the Gulf, with any prolonged disruption in the Strait of Hormuz potentially affecting global energy supplies and international oil markets.
