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

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: ???? Positioning: The vessel was stationary/moored at the time of impact.???? AIS Pattern: Our tracking confirms the vessel went… pic.twitter.com/RAwsNwwBJk — Windward (@WindwardAI) March 2, 2026

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

???? Positioning: The vessel was stationary/moored at the time of impact.???? AIS Pattern: Our tracking confirms the vessel went… pic.twitter.com/RAwsNwwBJk

— 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.

Are you relying on The Times of Israel for accurate and timely coverage of the Iran war right now? If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month, you will:

Support our independent journalists who are working around the clock under difficult conditions to cover this conflict;

Read ToI with a clear, ads-free experience on our site, apps and emails; and

Gain access to exclusive content shared only with the ToI Community, including weekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz.

We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.

You clearly find our careful reporting of the Iran war valuable, at a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.

Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically during this ongoing conflict.

So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you'll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.

Thank you,David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel

1 Iranian missile warhead falls less than a kilometer from Temple Mount, al-Aqsa Mosque

2 9 victims of Iranian missile strike on Beit Shemesh named, including 3 teen siblings

3 Reporter's notebook‘Everything is gone’: Deadly Iranian strike on Beit Shemesh leaves residents reeling

4 IDF strikes in Beirut after Hezbollah enters fray and fires rockets, drones at north

5 AnalysisWith Operation Epic Fury, Trump relies on Iranian people to finish the job

6 3 US F-15 fighter jets shot down by Kuwait in ‘friendly fire’ incident; crews survive

7 AnalysisDubai’s carefully built image as sun-filled safe haven shattered by Iranian strikes

8 Reporter's notebookIranians and Jews celebrate Khamenei’s death shoulder to shoulder in north London streets

2026 US-Israel war with Iran

© The Times of Israel