One seafarer was killed after an explosion believed to have been caused by a missile attack struck the oil products tanker MT Velos Sapphire in the Persian Gulf early Thursday, Athens-based management firm Velos Tankers said in a statement on Friday.
The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel was sailing unladen toward Bahrain’s Sitra port when it was hit. The crew member was initially reported missing after the blast before being found fatally injured on board; no other crew members were hurt, and the resulting fire was extinguished before the ship continued to Bahrain’s Khalifa Bin Salman Port, where an investigation is expected to begin.
Attack Details and Crew Response
According to Velos Tankers, the explosion was likely caused by an unidentified projectile that struck the vessel’s port quarter, triggering a fire that the remaining crew managed to extinguish before the ship reached safe harbor. The company said there were no reports of pollution from the incident and that the full extent of damage to the hull was still being assessed by investigators in Bahrain.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency, which monitors shipping risk across the Gulf, reported that two unidentified projectiles struck a merchant tanker roughly 50 nautical miles north of Qatar, a location consistent with the Velos Sapphire’s reported course toward Sitra. No state or militant group had claimed responsibility for the strike as of Friday, leaving the precise origin of the projectile unconfirmed.
Velos Tankers and the Vessel
Velos Tankers is an Athens-based ship management company operating in the oil products trade, part of the wider cluster of Greek-flagged and Greek-managed tonnage that dominates a significant share of the world’s tanker fleet. The Velos Sapphire itself flies the Marshall Islands flag, a common registry choice among Greek owners and managers seeking regulatory flexibility while retaining Greek commercial and technical oversight from Piraeus or Athens.
In its statement, the company expressed sorrow over the loss of the seafarer, whose nationality was not disclosed, and confirmed the vessel had been unladen at the time of the attack, reducing the risk of a major oil spill. The tanker’s diversion to Khalifa Bin Salman Port places the inquiry under Bahraini jurisdiction, where port and coast guard authorities are expected to coordinate with the ship’s flag state and management company on next steps.
Wider Gulf Tensions
The strike on the Velos Sapphire comes amid a prolonged period of heightened hostilities across the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz tied to the ongoing conflict involving Iran, with commercial vessels repeatedly caught in the crossfire of regional military activity through 2026. Shipowners and managers operating in the area have increasingly relied on UKMTO advisories and naval escort arrangements to route tankers through contested waters.
Greek shipowners and managers, who control one of the largest tanker fleets in the world, have faced recurring exposure to Gulf-related incidents given their outsized presence in crude and products trades passing through Hormuz and the wider Gulf. Insurers and charterers are likely to watch closely for any update on hull damage assessments and the investigation’s findings, which could influence war-risk premiums for vessels transiting the region.
Why it matters
The attack adds a Greek-managed casualty to a growing list of tanker incidents in the Persian Gulf, underscoring the operational risk facing the Greek-controlled fleet, which carries a disproportionate share of global seaborne oil. Any confirmed military origin of the projectile could further pressure war-risk insurance rates and reroute decisions for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waters. The incident also highlights the continuing vulnerability of unarmed commercial crews caught amid unresolved regional hostilities, keeping seafarer safety and Gulf transit risk high on the agenda for shipowners, insurers and flag administrations alike.
Source: Baird Maritime
