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Former tanker destroyed in US attack off Bandar Abbas
The IRINS 'Makran' (Persian: ناو بندر مکران) was ablaze after being struck by Tomahawk missiles during during the US Operation Epic Fury in the port of Bandar Abbas on March 1, 2026. The ship was surrounded by a massive plume of smoke. The 'Makran' was a key component of the Iranian Navy. It served as a support unit and drone carrier and could accommodate several helicopters as well as missile and drone systems. With its long range and versatile capabilities, the 'Makran' was able to support operations over long distances, including global missions. The loss of the 'Makran' was considered a significant weakening of the Iranian Navy. The US Central Command, which oversees Middle East operations, said on March 2 that it had destroyed all 11 of Iran's ships in the Gulf of Oman. It was not immediately clear if that tally included the 'Makran'. Satellite imagery captured by the US spatial intelligence firm Vantor on March 1 showed destroyed and sinking vessels, as well as damaged buildings at the Iranian naval base in Konarak. Three ships were sunk: the light frigate IRIS 'Jamaran' of the Moudge class, as well as the corvettes IRIS 'Bayandor' and IRIS 'Naghdi' of the Bayandor class. Three more vessels, including the auxiliary ship 'Delvar' and two Hendijan-class patrol boats, were also likely destroyed, although there was currently no clear visual confirmation. The 'Makran' was the largest ship in the fleet of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy. Commissioned on Jan 13, 2021, the ship was intended to provide logistical support to flotillas, particularly in the northern Indian Ocean, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, and the Red Sea. The tanker from which it originated, moored at the breakwater in the port of Bandar Abbas from July 2019 to August 2020 (a location previously used by the supply ship IRIN 'Kharg', which sank following a fire in early June 2021, was subsequently moved along the Gulf coast to a dry dock at the Iran Shipbuilding and Offshore Industries Complex (ISOICO) for modification and was relaunched between Dec 3 and 8, 2020. The most apparent difference between the support ship 'Makran' and the basic tanker was the addition of a flight deck in the forward half of the deck, which was approximately 85 meters long and as wide as the hull, and was raised on shipping containers. The large deck allowed it to easily deploy five helicopters simultaneously, using a combination of two Bell-212s, two SH-3 Sea Kings, and one RH-53D Sea Stallion. The ship was originally launched on Sep 10, 2009, at the Sumitomo Heavy Industries shipyard in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. The construction was completed on March 8, 2010, as 'Al Buhaira '. The UAE-based energy trader FAL Oil Co. secured a $62.4 million loan in July 2010 from the German bank DVB to refinance the construction of the 'Al Buhaira' and another tanker. The ship flew a Liberian flag during her entire career as the tanker 'Al Buhaira'. The registered owner was the Al Buhaira International Shipping Inc, a company based in Dubai. Later she was owned by Ionian Shipping Management LLC, another Emirati company in Fujairah. On March 4, 2013, Somali pirates unsuccessfully attempted to hijack the ship in the Arabian Sea in the international waters in the vicinity of Mukalla. Four skiffs with around six persons in each skiff approached the tanker from the port side bow, midships and astern. A ladder and an RPG were sighted in the approaching skiffs. The master raised the alarm, took anti-piracy measures, informed UKMTO and all non-essential crew retreated to the citadel. Onboard armed security team fired warning shots resulting in the skiffs stopping the approach at a distance of around four cables from the ship. After coming under Iranian control, the tanker was converted at the naval base in Bandar Abbas. In its new configuration, the ship was launched in November 2020, with sea trials conducted from Dec 9 to 14, 2020. On Jan 12, 2021, she was officially commissioned into the navy. In June 2021, the 'Makran' and the accompanying frigate IRIS 'Sahand' were the first Iranian naval ships to reach the Atlantic without docking in an international port, bound for the Russian port St. Petersburg to attend the Navy Day to commemorate the 325th anniversary of the Russian Navy foundation. Reports and photos: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/iran-key-naval-strait-hormuz-162423442.html? https://militarnyi.com/en/news/iran-has-lost-its-only-expeditionary-ship-ins-makran-what-was-it-like/ guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAEbaq1BLdEAtprXW-gqIbAXUuMFP76cm7bG2w2PwsdUYAksut7PsUMEP8_Gk1uiz7G5tDcKs0gFXvaEwkBVoVlf0bzR2dr7j8WsK5bmaufijvpCfOyC6wBNTdRJBCHHrY_3JqWvD5ZEHMb0bFqm8QXSYUaPYiTp2tf3AYKPYMH8q https://i0.web.de/image/938/41957938%2cpd=1%2cf=content-l/iran-krieg-iran.webp https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2026/03/02/USAT/88949172007-iran-strikes-satellite-001.jpg?width=592&format=pjpg&auto=webp&quality=70
Tankers stranded off Fujairah
Four aframax tankers operated by the UAE-based Venours Ships Management & Operations LLC in Fujairah, have been stranded on Fujairah roads since June 2016 and their crews were abandoned. The supplies, provisions and medicine ran out, life-saving equipment have either expired or are absent, and the power was off most of the time because of lack of fuel, and the crews have not been paid for months. The "Beta" and "City Elite" have AIS still working, the AIS of the "Al Nouf" is off since May, no data on the "Laowadale". 16 crew members were recruited on a nine-month contract by a Mumbai-based crew manning agency, the Abhay Shipping Pvt Ltd,, seven aboard the "Beta", seven aboard the "City Elite", two aboard the "Al Nouf" and two on the "Laowadale" and departed from Mumbai for Dubai on June 8. From Dubai, they were sent to Fujairah to board the vessels. All four anchored vessels were in close proximity of each other. The Abhay Shipping Pvt. Ltd. was not licensed for crewing. In their efforts to be rescued and get paid, the crew of the "Beta" sent a letter last week to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF). CP Singh, the second officer of the "Beta" is in charge of the vessel. The manager, with whom the second officer was said to be in contact, has assured the crew repeatedly that help is on its way, but has allegedly done little else.
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