Report: Crew of Kuwaiti Tanker Abandons Ship After Iranian Attack

A Kuwaiti product tanker has become the latest merchant vessel apparently struck in the Strait of Hormuz, forcing its crew to abandon ship off the eastern coast of Oman's Musandam Peninsula.

According to reports, distress signals were picked up on VHF Channel 16 at around 2010 hours UTC on Monday, when the vessel's crew indicated they had been hit by an unidentified projectile roughly eight nautical miles north-east of Limah, Oman. Monitoring body UKMTO subsequently confirmed early on Tuesday that the crew had taken to a lifeboat and were adrift while awaiting rescue.

Martin Kelly of EOS Risk Group named the affected ship as the product tanker Kaifan (IMO 9656046). The crew reportedly described a drone or missile strike that triggered a fire in the engine room. Analysts noted the incident closely resembled a strike on the product tanker Kavomaleas, which was hit in an attack attributed to Iran over the preceding weekend.

The escalation carries significant implications for seafarer welfare, an issue of direct relevance across Southeast Asia. Tankers operating in the Gulf are typically owned by Gulf Cooperation Council states or Western companies, but they are largely crewed by nationals from labour-supplying countries such as the Philippines and India. To keep vessels adequately manned despite the mounting danger, owners are reportedly offering large financial incentives, in some cases amounting to as much as six months' wages for a single round voyage in and out of the region, according to Bloomberg.

Those who accept effectively waive their legal entitlement to leave a vessel operating in a high-risk zone, weighing personal safety against exceptional earnings. For a typical able seaman, the bonus could add around US$15,000, close to three times average annual household income in the Philippines. Senior officers stand to gain considerably more, with a master potentially earning an additional US$60,000 to US$80,000 or beyond.

For Malaysian and wider Southeast Asian maritime stakeholders, the developments underline growing operational risk on a vital tanker route and raise pressing questions around crew protection, manning practices and insurance exposure. With many regional seafarers serving aboard Gulf-trading tonnage, the safety and compensation debate is likely to intensify for manning agencies, unions and shipowners alike.