Tanker attacked near Hormuz towed into Iranian custody after crew rescue

All 23 crew members aboard the Malta-flagged oil tanker Kavomaleas were safely rescued after the vessel was struck while transiting near Kumzar, Oman, close to the Strait of Hormuz, with the impact triggering a fire that reportedly affected the engine room area. The crew, made up of Filipino, Pakistani and Indian seafarers, were forced to abandon the vessel as the fire continued, and were recovered by a tugboat and brought ashore by Omani authorities with no fatalities or serious injuries reported. The Filipino seafarers among the crew have since arrived home safely.

The tanker, owned by Dynacom as part of the shipping group controlled by Greek shipowner George Procopiou, was struck twice near the Omani coast last week according to maritime security reports, leaving it adrift and still affected by fire in the aftermath. The vessel had been due to load a substantial cargo of crude oil in the Gulf when the attack occurred, and was only around a year old at the time.

Satellite imagery has since shown the tanker towed to the northern side of the Strait of Hormuz, close to an island controlled by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, with an oil spill observed trailing from the vessel raising environmental concerns. Dynacom has said it did not authorise any towing operation and is working to verify the vessel's current location, while warning that any salvage attempt by outside tugs could be met with resistance from Iranian forces.

Because the crew had already been rescued before the vessel was towed away, a hostage situation involving seafarers has so far been avoided, though Iran is reported to be holding two other foreign-flagged vessels and their crews as leverage amid the wider regional tensions. Procopiou has previously spoken of his willingness to continue operating in high-risk trade lanes despite the danger.

The episode highlights the compounding risks facing commercial shipping around the Strait of Hormuz, where an attack, a rescue and a subsequent seizure of the same vessel have unfolded within the space of little more than a week, leaving shipowners and insurers to reassess the practical and legal exposure of transiting the waterway.