Greek-managed tanker Velos Sapphire attacked in Persian Gulf, one seafarer dead

The attack on the tanker

The Velos Sapphire, a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker under Greek management, was struck by two unidentified projectiles while sailing in the Persian Gulf. The company's statement put the incident at 01:15 local time on Thursday, 5 November 2026. The vessel, built in 2007 with a capacity of about 75,000 dwt according to Naftemporiki, was carrying no cargo and was headed for Sitra in Bahrain. A strike on the port aft side set off a fire, which the crew extinguished. The British maritime security agency UKMTO separately recorded an attack with two unknown projectiles on a tanker in the same area, without naming the ship at first.

Crew member dead, company confirms

Velos Tankers Ltd, the vessel's manager, announced on Friday, 6 November that one of its seafarers had been found fatally injured on board after being reported missing following the explosion. The company said it had informed the crewman's family immediately and had activated its emergency response plan. It also said the other crew members had not been reported injured and were in good health.

“The company announces with deep sorrow the death of one of its seafarers, who was found fatally injured on board after being reported missing following the explosion.”

The company said it remained in contact with the master and crew and was providing support. It also said no marine pollution had been reported, while the extent of damage to the hull was still being assessed.

Conflicting accounts of the crew

The International Maritime Organization's record of incidents in the Middle East lists the vessel as damaged and one crew member as missing, without recording a confirmed death. Naftemporiki, citing open-source information and maritime security consultancies, reported that a seafarer was believed to have been killed during the attack, but said that claim had not been officially confirmed. Earlier reports had said all crew members were well, which Naftemporiki described as contradicted by its later reporting. The company's confirmation is the only official statement on the death so far.

Route, cause and investigation

According to the maritime security firm MARISKS, the tanker left Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates on 3 November, bound for Sitra. Its AIS signal went dark while it passed through the Strait of Hormuz and reappeared on 4 November at 16:27 UTC. Its speed had been about 12.8 knots at first, but fell to 2.4 knots by 23:03 UTC, 17 minutes before the reported attack, and to 1.1 knots at 23:35 UTC. MARISKS placed the attack at 23:20 UTC on 4 November, about 54 nautical miles north of Madinat ash Shamal in Qatar, inside Iran's exclusive economic zone.

Under instructions from the competent authorities, the ship was directed to Khalifa Bin Salman port in Bahrain, where crew support and a preliminary investigation into the attack were planned. Early reports linked the blast to a possible missile strike, but the exact cause had not been confirmed. The origin of the projectiles and the full extent of the damage remain under investigation.