Seafarer Killed, Another Missing After Attack On Oil Tanker Off Dubai

A seafarer was killed and another is missing after an incident involving the Gibraltar-flagged oil products tanker Hercules Star off Dubai on Wednesday, the vessel’s charterer Peninsula said.

The tanker was at anchor when the incident happened. Peninsula confirmed one death but did not say what caused it.

Peninsula said it was deeply saddened to confirm one fatality. The company added that one crew member was missing and that a specialist team was working to locate them. It said all other crew members had been accounted for.

A specialist team is now searching for the missing crew member. The rest of the crew is safe.

Maritime security sources said the tanker may have been hit by a drone.

Separately, UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it received a report of a vessel listing while at anchor around 24 nautical miles off the UAE’s Port Rashid.

UKMTO said the listing was “possibly indicating water ingress following an attack from an unknown projectile”.

Per maritime security sources, the location of the vessel reported by UKMTO was close to the Hercules Star.

The cause of the incident has not been confirmed. Peninsula has not confirmed that the tanker was attacked or that it was hit by a drone.

A separate tanker carrying about 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil was struck by a drone in the country’s territorial waters on Wednesday, port officials said.

The information available does not say whether the Iraqi tanker incident was linked to the Hercules Star.

References: timesnownews, thesun