Greek-owned tanker, Zefyros, is one of two vessels attacked late on Wednesday near the port of Basra, Iraq. All 22 crew members, Georgian nationals, have been reportedly rescued and are in good health.
An oil tanker was struck off the coast of Basrah, Iraq 🇮🇶
25 crew members have reportedly been rescued from the ship pic.twitter.com/XG7Z3OPjLZ
— Aleph א (@no_itsmyturn) March 11, 2026
The Greek-owned and Malta-flagged Zephyros was struck by what is believed to have been an Iranian unmanned surface vessel while conducting a ship-to-ship (STS) cargo transfer operation within the territorial waters of Iraq, Greek state-run news agency reported.
A fire broke out on the tanker and the blaze was brought under control and eventually extinguished with the assistance of Iraqi firefighting units and local port authorities, which were immediately mobilized in the area.
The Revolution Guards of Iran claimed responsibility for the attacks, Greek state broadcaster ERT reported at noon on Thursday.
ERT added that the Greek-owned tanker was not the target of the attack but the US-owned vessel Safesea Vishnu next to it.
Iraqi firefighters and port authorities have managed to control and extinguish the fire onboard two oil tankers targeted earlier tonight off the coast of Basra, identified as the Marshall Islands-flagged M/T SAFESEA VISHNU and Malta-flagged M/T ZEFYROS, who were struck by a… pic.twitter.com/BUbqdobEeI
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 12, 2026
The State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO) confirmed that the vessel was carrying condensed energy products belonging to the Basra Gas Company, as part of the country’s commercial hydrocarbon export operations.
Rescue footage: Iranian boats attacked 2 fuel tankers in Iraqi waters near Basra Port. #UAE #Iraq #US #Israel #Iran
Marshall Islands-flagged Safesea Vishnu & Malta-flagged Zefyros oil tanker ablaze after late-night projectiles; 1 crew killed, 38 rescued. https://t.co/WYUNefYNZ1 pic.twitter.com/xYBciASUpX
— GeoTechWar (@geotechwar) March 12, 2026
According to latest information an Indian national, crew member at the Safesea was killed.
The incident is the sixth in the last 48 hours adds to a series of attacks reported in recent days across the wider Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, heightening concerns over the safety of maritime navigation along one of the world’s most critical energy corridors.
