Seafarer missing in Gulf tanker strike as Iran redraws Hormuz blacklist

Seafarer missing in Gulf tanker strike as Iran redraws Hormuz blacklist
Adis Ajdin November 6, 2026 https://splash247.com/seafarer-missing-in-gulf-tanker-strike-as-iran-red...

A seafarer is missing following a missile-suspected attack on a Greek-operated tanker deep inside the Arabian Gulf, while Iran has reshuffled its growing Strait of Hormuz blacklist and fresh security warnings point to continuing threats to commercial shipping.

The Marshall Islands-flagged Velos Sapphire, a 74,998 dwt product tanker built in 2007 and managed by Athens-based Velos Tankers, was struck around 50 nautical miles north of Qatar’s Madinat ash Shamal.

UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) initially reported two unidentified projectiles hitting an unnamed tanker at 23:20 UTC. The ship’s operator subsequently reported an explosion on the aft port side, believed to have been caused by an unidentified missile.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has since identified the vessel, recording damage, no pollution and one seafarer missing. Maritime security sources have reported that the crew member was killed, although the IMO has not confirmed a fatality.A fire reportedly broke out following the strike but was extinguished.

The tanker had departed Fujairah on November 3 bound for Sitra, Bahrain. AIS analysis showed its speed falling to 2.4 knots shortly before the attack and to around 1.1 knots afterwards. It subsequently regained speed and continued towards Bahrain, suggesting it retained propulsion despite the damage.

The strike adds to growing concerns that attacks on merchant shipping are spreading well beyond the Hormuz chokepoint.

The vessel does not appear on Iran’s blacklist of ships accused of breaching its transit requirements. Another tanker in the same Greek-managed fleet, Velos Amber, is listed, although there is no established connection between the blacklist and the latest attack.

Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) has meanwhile removed two LPG carriers sanctioned by Washington from its non-compliance list.

The 2003-built Gas Marakua and 2001-built SOGL, both designated by the US Treasury in October over their links to Iranian petroleum shipping networks, disappeared from the latest list published on November 5.

The authority has instead added the 2018-built, Panama-flagged chemical and products tanker Mercan, which is owned and operated from Turkey.

The changes leave 239 vessels on Tehran’s blacklist, down from 240 earlier in the week but sharply higher than the 77 recorded in September.

PGSA has provided no explanation for the changes. The authority has threatened blacklisted vessels with fines, detention or confiscation during future passages, while also warning that ships cooperating with designated vessels through ship-to-ship transfers could face restrictions.

The overlapping sanctions regimes have created further difficulties for operators. Washington has designated PGSA itself and warned that obtaining services or safe-passage guarantees from the Iranian authority can expose shipping companies to sanctions risks.

Mine threats have also returned to the forefront. The US has called on Iran to identify mine locations in the Strait of Hormuz during discussions at the IMO, while Iranian forces have separately claimed several tanker mine strikes without identifying the vessels involved.

Tehran has claimed incidents involving five tankers and a tugboat, including fires and mine damage, but the reports remain independently unverified. It is also unclear whether some of the claims overlap with previously reported attacks.

A maritime security assessment issued on Thursday by the Joint Maritime Information Centre (JMIC) recorded four attacks in the strait during its latest 96-hour reporting period, all concentrated within 52 hours off Oman’s Musandam peninsula between November 1 and 3.

Two further attacks were recorded inside the Arabian Gulf. JMIC continues to classify the threat around Hormuz as severe, warning of further deliberate strikes and highlighting drone overflights, targeted surveillance and radio harassment of merchant vessels.

Shipping traffic remains severely depressed. AIS-based monitoring recorded just nine commercial crossings on Thursday, with the seven-day average running at around nine ships a day, barely a tenth of the pre-conflict level of approximately 85.

South Korea is also preparing to expand its Cheonghae naval unit’s operational area towards southern Oman and reinforce it with a P-8A maritime patrol aircraft and mine-countermeasure capabilities. The proposal, which requires parliamentary approval, would not place the unit inside Hormuz but could support future mine-clearance operations.

Diplomatic efforts continue in parallel, with the foreign ministers of Oman and Iran discussing practical and technical arrangements for restoring unhindered navigation through the strait on Thursday. No reopening agreement has been announced.

The IMO’s latest figures put the number of confirmed maritime incidents across the region at 129, with 24 seafarer fatalities recorded since the conflict began.