A seafarer who went missing after a suspected missile strike on the product tanker Velos Sapphire in the Persian Gulf has been found dead on board, the ship’s Greek manager Velos Tankers said on Friday (6 November).
What the manager said
- The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker was sailing without cargo towards Bahrain when it was hit on Thursday.
- Velos Tankers said the crew member, first reported missing after the explosion, was later found fatally injured on board.
- No other crew members were hurt. The crew put out a fire caused by the blast, and there were no reports of pollution.
- The ship was taken to Bahrain’s Khalifa Bin Salman Port, where an investigation will be launched. Damage to the hull was still being assessed.
Background
We first reported the attack, when the seafarer was still listed as missing, on 6 November: Seafarer missing after suspected missile strike on product tanker inside the Arabian Gulf. Attacks on merchant ships put crews on the front line; read more about Bangladesh’s seafarers in the global industry.
Based on reporting by Baird Maritime (Reuters), 6 November 2026, citing a statement from Velos Tankers.
