KSA says Iran attacked vessel in Hormuz, killing two sailors

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest crude exporter, said on Wednesday that an Iranian attack on an oil tanker owned by its national shipping company had killed two Filipino seafarers.

Sidr, owned by Bahri, was one of two supertankers carrying Saudi oil reported to have been hit late on Monday while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran has threatened tankers attempting to sail through the narrow waterway without authorisation, impeding energy exports from neighbouring oil-rich Gulf countries.

About one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade used to pass through the Strait of Hormuz before the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28.

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Bahri said the seafarers were killed in a security incident involving Sidr at 23:40 local time (2040 GMT) on Monday.

“The kingdom stressed the necessity of halting escalations, and respecting international maritime safety and the security of global energy supplies,” the Saudi foreign ministry said.

“Bahri remains in continuous contact with the vessel and is coordinating closely with the relevant authorities and maritime industry stakeholders, while continuing to closely monitor developments,” the company said in a statement.

In July, another Bahri vessel, the Wedyan supertanker, was hit while passing through the strait close to Oman’s coast.

Two other Bahri vessels, Masa and Amzan, were attacked in the Red Sea in July and August after the Iran-backed Yemen’s Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia.