Two Oil Tankers Hit in Strait of Hormuz as Saudi Sailors Killed

Near-simultaneous strikes off Oman

Two supertankers carrying Saudi oil were struck by unknown projectiles within minutes of each other while transiting outbound through the Strait of Hormuz late on Monday, August 31, according to shipping intelligence firms Marisks and Kpler. The Saudi Arabian-flagged very large crude carrier Sidr was hit about sixteen nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman, at approximately 1952 UTC. Minutes later, the Liberian-flagged Senegal Prosperity was reportedly struck by three projectiles approximately seventeen nautical miles east of Khasab.

Both vessels had each loaded two million barrels of Saudi crude at the Juaymah terminal on the kingdom's east coast the previous week. Saudi Aramco had resumed oil loadings and sales from inside the strait in August, making the attacks a direct challenge to Riyadh's effort to maintain exports despite the closure.

Two Filipino seafarers killed

Bahri, Saudi Arabia's national shipping company and operator of Sidr, confirmed on September 2 that its vessel was involved in a security incident while transiting the Strait of Hormuz at 23:40 local time on August 31, reporting the loss of two Filipino seafarers. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Iran for targeting the tanker and urged all parties to de-escalate and respect international law.

Reuters reported Saudi Arabia's assessment that an Iranian attack on the Bahri-owned tanker had killed the two crew members. The International Maritime Organisation has verified at least seventy ship attacks and nineteen seafarer deaths since the conflict began in February.

Iran claims mines, shippers cite projectiles

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said two oil tankers caught fire after striking mines while transiting the strait via an illegal route at the urging of the US military. Maritime security firms identified the impacts as projectiles, not mine explosions. The BBC reported that Iran had not responded to requests for comment on the Saudi attribution of responsibility.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported three projectiles striking a tanker in the same location as it sailed out of the strait. Marisks described the near-simultaneous incidents as a further escalation in the threat environment within the Omani corridor.

Traffic remains a fraction of pre-war levels

Crossings through Hormuz have dropped sharply amid renewed fighting. Kpler data showed five vessels excluding container ships crossed on Tuesday September 2, compared with ten on Monday, seven on Sunday, and nine on Saturday. Before the war, roughly a fifth of global oil and LNG trade passed through the waterway daily.

Attacks on commercial ships in the strait previously contributed to the collapse of an April ceasefire between the United States and Iran. Mediators including Qatar and Oman have sought to broker a deal to reopen the strait, but the August 31 tanker attacks demonstrate that the maritime front remains active even when diplomatic channels are open.