Seafarer Killed as Suspected Missile Strikes Greek-Managed Tanker Bound for Bahrain

The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker had been heading for the Bahraini port of Sitra. In a statement, the company said a projectile it could not identify had probably struck the vessel's port quarter and started a fire, which the crew put out. The seafarer, whose nationality was not given, was first reported missing and was later found on board with fatal injuries.

"The company is greatly saddened to report the death of one of its seafarers, who was found fatally injured on board after having initially been reported missing in the aftermath of the explosion," Velos Tankers said. No other crew members were hurt, and the company said there were no reports of pollution.

The attack is a reminder that commercial shipping in the Gulf still faces lethal risk more than eight months into the war between the United States and Iran, which began on February 28. Tanker owners, insurers and Gulf exporters all depend on the waterway staying open. The Strait of Hormuz normally carries about a fifth of the oil the world consumes.

The vessel then sailed to Khalifa Bin Salman Port in Bahrain, where an investigation will be opened, the manager said. The extent of the damage to the hull was still being assessed.

Neither Velos Tankers nor the reports said who fired the projectile. Earlier on Friday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said two oil tankers had caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz, a day after Tehran said five other tankers had suffered the same fate.

Since the war began, Tehran has tried to restrict traffic through the strait. Washington has responded with a blockade of Iranian ports and naval escorts for tankers passing through. Last month US Central Command said it had helped Gulf countries export 1.5 billion barrels of oil through Hormuz since the summer, and it has since said that all mines have been cleared from the waterway.

The death shows that clearing mines has not removed the threat from missiles and other projectiles to ships moving between Gulf ports, including empty vessels sailing to load cargo. Velos Tankers has not said when the Velos Sapphire might return to service or what the investigation in Bahrain will cover.