Iran says oil tanker hit mine, caught fire in Hormuz

Iran's navy said on Saturday, Nov. 7, that an oil tanker hit a naval mine and caught fire in the eastern Strait of Hormuz after entering an area Tehran had declared off-limits. The navy said the ship had ignored warnings and switched off its navigation systems, and it gave no details about the vessel or its crew, Iran International reported. The claim, first carried by Iranian media and reported by Reuters, came a day after a Greek-managed tanker's operator confirmed that one of its crew members had been killed in the Gulf.uk.marketscreener.com+1

The incidents add to a rising number of attacks on shipping. According to UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), October had more than 35 incidents in the strait, the most of any month since the war began, and at least five vessels had been attacked in November as of Friday, DW reported.dw.com

Iran's mine claims

On Friday, Nov. 6, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said two "violating oil tankers," one east of the strait and one inside it, hit mines while trying to use an "unauthorised route." The Guards said both ships had turned off their identification systems and were being helped by the "aggressor and terrorist American military," according to AFP via Business Recorder. On Thursday, Iranian media had reported that five tankers and a tugboat caught fire after hitting mines. Independent maritime authorities had not confirmed those accounts. US Central Command recently said all mines had been cleared from the waterway, AFP noted.brecorder.com

Separately, UKMTO said the master of a tanker crossing the strait reported an explosion at the port-side waterline 16 nautical miles east of Oman's Khasab. The agency said the crew was safe and the ship was continuing its voyage under its own power, the Times of Israel reported.timesofisrael.com

Death aboard Velos Sapphire

Athens-based Velos Tankers said the Marshall Islands-flagged Velos Sapphire was sailing toward Bahrain with no cargo when it was hit on Thursday, Nov. 5. The company believes a missile caused the blast. "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," it said, according to Arab News. The crew put out the fire, and the ship was taken to Bahrain's Khalifa Bin Salman Port for an investigation.arabnews.com

Philippine Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the dead seafarer was Filipino. He said 22 Filipinos were on board and one other was injured, although the operator reported no other injuries, GMA News reported.gmanetwork.com

A mounting toll

The International Maritime Organization said at least 25 seafarers have been killed in the strait since the conflict began on Feb. 28, and that there have been 130 attacks on commercial ships in that time, Trend reported. Tehran has restricted traffic through the strait and required vessels to obtain permits, while Iran and Oman have spent months negotiating its reopening, L'Orient Today reported. Iran's navy issued a warning to other ships: "This will be the fate of all ships that ignore warnings and enter prohibited areas."today.lorientlejour.com+1