Incidence – On March 4, 2026, container vessel Safeen Prestige was hit by an unknown projectile/possibly two missiles just above the waterline. The strike ignited a fire in the engine room, prompting the crew to initiate emergency procedures.
Location - Approximately 2 nautical miles north of Oman, in the Strait of Hormuz,
vessel details
Name: Safeen Prestige
Flag: Malta
Type: Container ship (~1,740–1,815 TEU)
Built: 2013
Route: Sailing eastbound from the United Arab Emirates (Dubai/Sharjah area) toward Saudi Arabia (Jeddah).
Crew and safety outcome
Environmental and pollution status
Impact
The engine room is damaged.
All 24 crew members, reportedly a mix of Egyptians and Ukrainians, abandoned the vessel safely without reported injuries. They were later rescued by the Royal Navy of Oman.
The vessel is not condition of further movement and is anchored in Middle of Strait of Hormuz ( the current location is as per marine traffic website)
At the time of reporting, no environmental damage or pollution had been confirmed, and there were no reports of cargo loss into the sea.
Multiple vessels have been attacked in last 4 days while passing through Strait of Hormuz, below is the list of 11 vessels including container / cargo / oil tankers :-
Safeen Prestige – Malta-flagged container ship struck by a projectile/missiles near the Strait of Hormuz on 4 March 2026; crew abandoned and rescued.
Skylight – Oil tanker hit by a projectile near Musandam/Oman area on 1 March 2026.
MKD VYOM – Oil tanker struck by a drone boat (uncrewed surface vehicle) around 1 March 2026.
Sea La Donna – Oil/chemical tanker attacked (details not fully confirmed) on 1 March 2026.
MT Hercules Star – Oil tanker hit by projectile causing fire on 1 March 2026.
Ocean Electra – Tanker with minor damage in the same period near the strait on 1 March 2026.
LCT Ayeh – Oil tanker damaged around 1–2 March 2026.
Stena Imperative – Products tanker damaged on 2 March 2026.
Athe Nova – Bitumen/oil tanker hit by drones on 2 March 2026.
Gold Oak – Bulk carrier with minor damage on 2 March 2026.
Libra Trader – Crude oil tanker with minor damage on 3 March 2026.
Till now no vessel has sunk but many have been attacked.
Insurance cancellation –
Many shipping insurance companies are said to pull back the vessel insurance from 5th of March 2026 for this route.
Update on cargo routed to and fro Gulf -
Many shipping lines have issued advisories to discharge the cargo at nearby safe ports rather than engaging there vessels, which is both dangerous and cost absorbing.
Containers can be accommodated at ports for even few months, in case the war continues.
This will lead to congestion of containers at transshipment ports and once the war comes to and end it would take months to regain a smooth maritime supply chain for this route .
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