Riyadh, September 2, 2026: Saudi Arabia said Wednesday that an Iranian attack on an oil tanker operated by its national shipping company killed two Filipino seafarers, raising fresh concerns over maritime security and the safety of global energy supplies in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
The tanker, Sidr, owned by Saudi shipping giant Bahri, was among two supertankers carrying Saudi crude reportedly struck late Monday while transiting the narrow waterway.
Bahri said the two seafarers were killed in a security incident involving the vessel at around 11:40am local time on Monday.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry condemned the escalation and stressed the need to protect international maritime navigation and the security of global energy supplies.
“The kingdom stressed the necessity of halting escalations, and respecting international maritime safety and the security of global energy supplies,” the ministry said.
Bahri said it remained in continuous contact with the vessel and was coordinating closely with relevant authorities and maritime industry stakeholders while monitoring developments in the region.
The latest incident comes amid mounting tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of the world’s energy supplies has traditionally passed.
Before the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, around one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade passed through the waterway.
Iran has threatened tankers attempting to navigate the strait without its authorisation, creating growing uncertainty for energy exporters in the Gulf and raising concerns over potential disruptions to international oil and gas markets.
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea and is a critical route for crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf producers.
The attack on Sidr is the latest in a series of incidents involving Bahri vessels.
In July, another Bahri supertanker, Wedyan, was struck while passing through the strait near the Omani coast.
Two other Bahri vessels, Masa and Amzan, were attacked in the Red Sea in July and August after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia.
The repeated attacks on Saudi-linked commercial shipping have intensified concerns over the vulnerability of energy and maritime infrastructure amid the wider regional conflict.
