Smoke rising from the Thai bulk carrier Mayuree-Naree after an attack in the Strait of Hormuz, March 11, 2026. THAI ROYAL NAVY VIA AFP
In footage captured by Omani rescue teams, the Mayuree-Naree's stern is seen ablaze. The crew abandoned the Thai bulk carrier after it was struck on Wednesday, March 11, by "two projectiles of unknown origin" 11 nautical miles (20 kilometers) north of the city of Khasab at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. Three people remain missing. The fire aboard the Mayuree-Naree marked the end of a four-day lull along this strategic maritime corridor through which one-fifth of the world's oil and gas passes.
In the early hours of Thursday, March 12, two oil tankers were targeted off the coast of Iraq, leaving at least one person dead, according to Iraqi authorities, who have launched searches for those missing. The Zefyros, sailing under the Maltese flag, was preparing to enter the port of Khor Al Zubair to load an additional 30,000 metric tons of liquid petroleum naphtha (mainly used in petrochemical production), after having unloaded a previous cargo. The second vessel, the Safesea-Vishnu, was sailing under the Marshall Islands flag and had been chartered by an Iraqi company.
