Gulf Tanker Attack Kills Seafarer, VLCC Also Struck
A Marshall Islands-registered product tanker, the Velos Sapphire (74,998 dwt), suffered a strike in the Gulf on 4 November, resulting in one seafarer’s death. The incident occurred roughly 50 nautical miles north of Madinat ash Shamal, Qatar, at 23:20 UTC, when two unidentified projectiles hit the vessel. The impact triggered an aft port-side explosion and subsequent fire, which crews later contained.
Maritime security firm Vanguard Tech reported the incident, noting that the full extent of damage to the vessel was unknown. One crew member was reported to have been killed, although Vanguard noted that the fatality was yet to be confirmed. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) reported a seafarer was missing in its list of confirmed attacks in the region.
Gulf Tanker Attacks
In another incident on 5 November, a VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) reported an explosion at the waterline on the port side of the vessel. The tanker involved was the Vanuatu-flagged Vieira, which remained under its own power and continued on its voyage. According to Vanguard, the vessel was on an outbound transit when the explosion occurred.
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The incident took place approximately 16nm east of Khasab, Oman. A total of seven vessels have been reported in the region since the beginning of November, with the Velos Sapphire being the second incident in the Arabian Gulf. The first was the attack on the chemical/product tanker Largo Atom, which was struck by two unknown projectiles on 1 November.
Security Threat Level
The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) has kept its security threat level at “Substantial” in its 5 November update, whereas the threat level for Hormuz is “Severe”.
Of the seven attacks so far in November, just two involved crude tankers, the VLCCs Grit and Vieira. The other incidents comprised two chemical/product tankers (Largo Atom and Velos Sapphire), the offshore tug Selat Storm, bulker Era S, and dhow Al Jusufi.
