Saudi tanker Sidr struck in Strait of Hormuz, killing two Filipino sailors

Missile strikes hit tankers off Oman

Two crude oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz came under fire late on Monday night, leaving two Filipino sailors dead aboard the Saudi-owned supertanker Sidr. According to maritime intelligence from Marisks and Kpler, the vessel was struck by projectiles at 19:52 GMT roughly 16 nautical miles (30 km) northeast of Khasab, Oman. Around the same time, the South Korean-owned tanker Senegal Prosperity was hit by three projectiles approximately 17 nautical miles east of Khasab. Both vessels had loaded two million barrels of crude oil at the Saudi port of Juaymah the previous week.

The Saudi national maritime carrier, Bahri, confirmed that two crew members died during the security incident on board Sidr at 23:40 local time. The attacks followed an intensified phase in the seven-month conflict that began on 28 February 2026. Prior to the conflict, approximately 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas traded through the waterway.

Diplomatic reactions across the Gulf

Saudi Arabia condemned the strikes on Sidr, calling on regional and international actors to protect commercial navigation and energy corridors.

The kingdom stressed the necessity of halting escalations, and respecting international maritime safety and the security of global energy supplies.

Qatar and Kuwait also condemned the incident as a violation of international maritime law. Qatari officials stated that the Strait of Hormuz must not serve as a bargaining chip in regional warfare. Iran has denied responsibility for direct projectile fire, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stating that the two tankers caught fire after hitting naval mines while using unauthorized routes. Tehran subsequently expanded its list of non-compliant vessels subject to detention and fines. The incident also follows Iranian drone and missile strikes targeting US military installations across Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait.

United States strikes Iranian coastal positions

In response to the escalation, the United States conducted a series of aerial strikes targeting Iranian military assets along the coastline of the Strait of Hormuz. US forces struck radar installations and missile batteries positioned near the waterway.

We took out all of the new equipment that they tried to build along the Strait of Hormuz - some defensive, some offensive... It was a very heavy attack last night, and we're prepared to do another one any time we want,

Washington indicated that its counter-blockade against Iranian ports will remain active. The attack on Sidr marks the fourth incident involving Bahri vessels during the conflict. The supertanker Wedyan was hit in the Strait of Hormuz in July, while two other Bahri-owned ships, Masa and Amzan, faced attacks in the Red Sea by Houthi forces in July and August.

Impact on shipping volumes and crude prices

Crude benchmarks stabilized following the exchange of strikes. Brent crude futures dropped 43 cents (0.45%) to $95.20 per barrel at 0029 GMT on Thursday, while West Texas Intermediate slipped 24 cents (0.26%) to $90.77. The move followed volatility in the prior session, when prices moved between gains of $2 and declines of $1 per barrel.

Shipping traffic through the Strait slowed following the incidents. Preliminary tracking data from Kpler recorded four commodity vessels transiting the waterway on Wednesday, compared to the 10-day rolling average of 13 vessels. The downturn occurred two days after 17 million barrels of crude transited the strait on Monday, which US officials identified as the highest single-day volume since February.

If that easing holds, and it is a big if, it won't be long before oil moving out of the Strait via dark-ship transits and ship-to-ship transfers returns to the levels we saw at the end of last week,