At approximately 2:00 AM on March 6, 2026, at least four civilians were killed and at least three injured in an attack on the Mussafah-2 tug vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.

At 12:57 p.m. UTC on March 6, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre announced that it had “received a report of an incident 6NM north of Oman in the Straits of Hormuz” pertaining to “a tug being hit by unknown projectiles in the Straits of Hormuz.”

Citing maritime security company Vanguard, Lloyds List reported that “Abu Dhabi Ports-operated Mussafah-2 (IMO: 9522051) was reportedly providing assistance to Malta-flagged, 1,740 teu Safeen Prestige (IMO: 9593517) when it was hit by projectiles at around 1400 hrs on March 6, 18 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman.”

Also citing Vanguard, the Straits Times reported that “the tugboat was struck by two missiles.” According to Lloyds List, “all of the tug’s crew, which is thought to be eight seafarers, are feared dead as a result of today’s attack;” this number of fatalities has since been revised, as some of the crew members were confirmed injured rather than killed. Still, this report of eight fatalities has been recorded in the upper range of those reportedly killed in this incident.

The same day, the Secretary-General of the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO), Mr. Arsenio Dominguez announced that he was “alarmed and deeply saddened to hear of a deadly attack on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on 6 March 2026, in which at least four seafarers have reportedly lost their lives and three severely injured.” The IMO published the same casualty figure on its “list of highlighted (confirmed) incidents.”

On the morning of March 8, The Straits Times reported that according to Indonesia’s foreign ministry, “three Indonesian crew members are missing after the United Arab Emirates-flagged tugboat Musaffah-2 sank in the Strait of Hormuz on March 6” and that the “Musaffah-2 had seven crew members from Indonesia, India and the Philippines…adding that four survived and three others, all Indonesians, are missing.” However, the article noted that the UN’S IMO had provided different figures, as listed earlier in this assessment. The Straits Times went on to cite the Indonesian foreign ministry in reporting that “one Indonesian survivor is receiving burn treatment at a hospital in the city of Khasab, Oman. The other three Indonesians are still being searched for by the local authorities.”

In line with Airwars’ methodology, the reference to three missing seafarers has been recorded as three fatalities. This will be updated should additional information become available.

An article published by Indonesian independent media outlet, The Strategy, on March 10 provided further details on the events leading up to the incident. It reported that “the incident began with the container ship Safeen Prestige experiencing damage in Omani waters near the Strait of Hormuz. Safeen Provider then deployed the Musaffah-2, carrying seven crew members and six technicians, to conduct inspections and repairs. The Musaffah-2 departed Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the afternoon of March 5, 2026,” after which, a decision was made to tow the Safeen Prestige.

According The Strategy, “at approximately 2:00 a.m. on March 6, 2026, as preparations for the towing were nearing completion, the Musaffah-2 reportedly experienced an explosion, causing a fire throughout the vessel, including on the bridge…Several crew members survived the incident, including one Indonesian citizen (Mr. YRJ), while three other Indonesians (Mr. MP, Mr. SR, and Mr. AS), crew members of the Musaffah-2, remain missing. One foreign national is also reported missing.”

Taking the identifying information from these sources in sum, it seems that three Indonesian seafarers were missing after the strike, as was one foreign national, likely George Miranda of the Phillipines. With this in mind, Airwars has recorded the missing number of seafarers as four, which – in line with Airwars’ methodology – are also recorded as fatalities. This will be updated should additional information become available.

Miswar Paturusi (Indonesian) – captain – missing

On March 11, Inspirasi Timur identified one of the missing Indonesian crew members as “Captain Miswar Paturusi (50), a sailor from Pattedong Village, South Ponrang District, Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi.” According to the article, Miswar and his wife, Marliani Ahmad, had two children, and the family looked forward to Miswar’s video calls when he was away. Tribune Timur also reported that Miswar was missing and published a photo of the man wearing a white captain’s hat and uniform. A TV news report by tvOneNews showed Miswar’s loved ones gathered as they anxiously awaited news of his fate. In an interview with KompasTV, Miswar’s wife, Marliani, showed some of her Whatsapp messages with her husband and described their last video call before he went missing, in which he explained that he was headed towards the Safeen Prestige.

Mr. Sirajuddin (Indonesian) – engine technician – missing

On March 9, Kompas reported that the Mussafah-2’s engine technician, Mr. Sirajuddin, was also missing. Speaking with the news outlet, Mr. Sirajuddin’s wife, Sri Dewi Aisyah, said that he “was a very responsible figure towards his family” and that he always tried to give the best for herself and their two children, Nazwa Azalia and Azkaira Nur Malaika. “My husband is a very responsible man, deeply devoted to his family and children. He always supports us and strives to give us the best,” she said.”

According to Tribune Timur, “the wife of Miswar’s shipmate, Chief Engineer Sirajuddin, came to Marliani’s house to seek information about her husband’s condition.” Marliani explained that “Mr. Sirajuddin’s wife came to the house earlier with their child. She hasn’t received any definitive information yet and is still waiting for news from the company and the Indonesian Embassy.”

On March 14, The Jakarta Post reported that “Sri Dewi Aisyah, the wife of Musaffah-2’s chief engineer Sirajuddin, said she continued to cling to the hope that her husband had survived the incident and that authorities will persist in their efforts to find him.”

George Miranda (Filipino) – crew member – missing

On March 12, The Manila Times identified another missing crew member, reporting that 46-year-old “Filipino sailor George Miranda was racing to help a stricken vessel aboard the tugboat Mussafaf-2 when he last spoke to his wife and young daughter.” According to the outlet, “the 46-year-old, whose small ship was struck by a pair of missiles this week in the Strait of Hormuz, is the only seafarer from the Philippines known to be missing in the Middle East war, the government says.”

According to ABS-CBN, George was from Capalonga, Camarines Norte and he “last communicated with his family on March 5, when he sent a video for his 7-year-old child and told his family that the tugboat was in a dangerous area, his wife Chriz said.” The last message he sent to his wife read: “Lahat ng ginagawa ko, sakripisyo para sa inyo,” or “everything I do is a sacrifice for you.” The article further stated that “Mrs. Miranda said her husband told her that he and other crew members of Mussafah-2 were initially unaware that they were heading to a dangerous area because they had been told that they were going instead to Ras Al-Kaimah, a port city in the United Arab Emirates.”

In line with Airwars’ methodology regarding documenting harm at sea, seafarers who have been reported as missing have been included in the count of civilian fatalities recorded in this incident. This will be updated should additional information become available.

Sources did not name a belligerent responsible for the incident and as such the strike status has been recorded as ‘contested’ with the major parties to the conflict listed in the military actor fields. Civilian harm status has been recorded as ‘fair’. This will be updated should additional information become available.