One killed as Iranian missile debris hits tanker in Bahrain port, sparking fire

Debris from an intercepted Iranian missile hit an oil tanker at a Bahrain port on Monday, causing a fire that was extinguished, local authorities said, with the ship’s owner reporting that one crew member had been killed.

Bahrain’s interior ministry said the incident marked the island nation’s first fatality since the start of Tehran’s major missile and drone campaign against Gulf nations, which began after the US and Israel launched a massive air assault on Iran that killed its supreme leader and other top officials.

The falling debris sparked a fire on a foreign ship in the port city of Salman, the Bahraini ministry says. Beyond the crewman who was killed, two others were seriously injured.

“One shipyard worker was reported deceased, and authorities report two shipyard workers were injured,” Lena Alvling, general manager of Marketing & Corporate Events, told AFP, corroborating the Bahraini government statement.

Alvling said the company was still investigating the source of the impacts, but confirmed that the ship “suffered damage due to aerial impacts while berthed” in the Arabian Gulf.

The Stena Imperative is a 183-meter-long tanker, owned by Stena and operated by the US shipping company, Crowley Maritime.

BREAKING: Massive explosion in Bahrain. pic.twitter.com/Ns2FvzfiZX

— James???????? (@MrJamesKe) March 2, 2026

Tehran has targeted tanker ships and other oil and gas infrastructure in countries across the Gulf. Since the renewed fighting began over the weekend, more than 200 vessels, including oil and liquefied gas tankers, have dropped anchor around the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters, shipping data showed.

Situation update regarding the strike on the U.S.-flagged tanker STENA IMPERATIVE at Khalifa Bin Salman Port, Bahrain (02:57 GMT).

Windward analysis:

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— Windward (@WindwardAI) March 2, 2026

The International Maritime Organization, the UN’s shipping agency, urged companies to avoid sailing through the affected area until conditions improved.

On Sunday, at least three tankers were damaged off the Gulf coast, and one seafarer was killed in Iranian strikes.

A Palau-flagged oil tanker some five nautical miles off Oman’s coast was also attacked by unidentified projectiles. Four people were injured, and the whole crew of 20 people was evacuated, Oman’s maritime security center said.

Another tanker in the UAE port of Jebel Ali was almost damaged by falling debris from an aerial interception, after Iranian attacks targeting Gulf states, maritime security sources said. A third oil-bunkering tanker was damaged off the UAE coast, two shipping sources said.

A fourth vessel, an oil products tanker, was targeted with a drone off the coast of the UAE, although it managed to sail without being damaged, maritime security sources said.