Two Filipino sailors killed after Saudi tanker incident in Strait of Hormuz

Dubai: Two Filipino sailors have died following an incident involving a vessel operated by Saudi Arabia’s national shipping company Bahri while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz on August 31, the company said.

Bahri said the two crew members died as a result of the incident involving the Saudi-flagged very large crude carrier Sidr. The company had earlier said it was investigating the incident and assessing its impact.

Shipping intelligence firms reported that Sidr was struck by unknown projectiles about 16.6 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman, late on Monday as it was sailing out of the Strait of Hormuz.

The incident comes amid heightened risks to commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz. The International Maritime Organisation had recorded 70 confirmed maritime incidents and 19 seafarer deaths in the region as of August 26, before the latest attack.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important energy corridors and carried about a fifth of global oil supplies before the conflict sharply disrupted shipping through the waterway.