By Evgenia Filimianova
A U.S.-owned crude oil tanker came under attack near Iraq’s southern coast on March 11, killing one crew member, the Indian embassy in Baghdad said on March 12.
Regional government bodies and maritime security centers also reported March 11 strikes on multiple commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
The attacks come amid heightened military tensions affecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that handles roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas supplies.
The U.S.-owned and Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Safesea Vishnu was attacked near Basra, resulting in the death of an Indian sailor and the evacuation of the remaining crew, the Indian embassy said. Safesea Vishnu departed Khor Al Zubair, an industrial port area and waterway in southern Iraq, on March 10 at 8:09 a.m. local time, according to shipping data from MarineTraffic.
The Indian embassy said that the remaining 15 Indian crew members have since been evacuated to a safe place.
Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Company (SOMO) said on March 12 that another tanker, the Maltese-flagged Zefyros, was also targeted while operating in Iraqi territorial waters.
The vessel had been preparing to enter Khor Al-Zubair port to load an additional 30,000 tons of naphtha after completing a sideloading operation, SOMO said. SOMO described the incident as harmful to Iraq’s security and economy and a threat to maritime safety and energy activity.
Multiple Vessels Report Damage
Several other ships across the region reported damage on March 11. Among them was the container ship One Majesty, flying the Japanese flag.
Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines said on March 12 that One Majesty was damaged while anchored in the Persian Gulf. The company said all crew members were safe and the vessel remained operational, though the cause of the impact was under investigation.
Crew members reported feeling a shock near the stern before discovering damage. The ship was anchored about 60 miles southwest of the Strait of Hormuz at the time, the company said.
Mitsui also reported minor damage to one of its oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman from unidentified falling objects. The tanker has since left the area.
Maritime risk management firm Vanguard said the Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Star Gwyneth sustained hull damage after being struck on March 11 by a projectile about 50 nautical miles northwest of Dubai. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency reported that the crew was safe and no environmental damage occurred.
India’s foreign ministry said on March 11 it had received reports of an attack on the Thai-flagged ship Mayuree Naree in the Strait of Hormuz while en route to Kandla, India.
“India deplores the fact that commercial shipping is being made a target of military attacks in the ongoing conflict in West Asia,” the ministry said.
It urged all parties to avoid endangering civilian sailors or disrupting freedom of navigation and commerce.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have warned that vessels transiting the strait could be targeted. Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for Iran’s military command, said on March 11 that oil prices could surge sharply due to instability.
“Get ready for oil to be $200 a barrel, because the oil price depends on regional security, which you have destabilized,” Zolfaqari said.
Oil prices jumped back toward the $100-per-barrel mark on March 12, amid intensified Iranian attacks on oil and transport infrastructure across the Middle East and the ongoing Strait of Hormuz blockade. Brent futures climbed $5.95, or 6.47 percent, to $97.93 a barrel at 5:15 a.m. ET, having hit $100 per barrel in earlier trading, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up $5.25, or 6 percent, to $92.50.
The United States has sought to keep the Strait of Hormuz open by countering Iranian naval threats, including mine-laying operations. President Donald Trump said on March 10 that U.S. forces had neutralized most of Iran’s mines and urged oil companies to continue using the route.
“We took out just about all of their mines,” Trump told reporters while departing the White House.
UKMTO reports that from Feb. 28 to March 12, it received 20 incident reports involving vessels operating in and around the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman, including 16 classified as attacks and four as suspicious activity.
