Tanker Struck by Two Projectiles off Saudi Arabia’s Ras Al Khafji, Identified as Largo Atom
A tanker sailing south-east through the Gulf was struck by two unknown projectiles on its port side about 72 nautical miles east of Ras Al Khafji, Saudi Arabia, at 23:47 UTC on 1 November (02:47 Istanbul time on 2 November), the UK Maritime Trade Operations centre (UKMTO) said. All crew are accounted for and no environmental impact has been reported, according to UKMTO warning 192-26. UKMTO did not name the ship. Maritime security firm Vanguard Tech, cited by The Maritime Executive, identified it as the tanker Largo Atom (IMO 1034747) and said it was hit by two drones and suffered a complete loss of power.
- UKMTO: tanker hit on the port side by two unknown projectiles, 72nm east of Ras Al Khafji, at 23:47 UTC on 1 November
- All crew accounted for; no environmental impact reported; authorities investigating
- Vanguard Tech identified the ship as the Liberia-flagged product tanker Largo Atom and said two drones caused a complete loss of power; UKMTO has not named the vessel
- Hours earlier a UAE-linked offshore tug, named as Selat Storm, was hit in the Strait of Hormuz and reported partially sinking
- No state or group has claimed the Largo Atom attack
What UKMTO confirmed
UKMTO’s report came from the ship’s master. It describes an attack, not an accident: two projectiles of unknown type hit the port side while the tanker was under way. Authorities are investigating, and UKMTO advised ships in the area to transit with caution and report suspicious activity. It gave no information on damage, cargo or who fired.
The type of weapon, the extent of the damage and the power loss come only from Vanguard Tech’s reporting and have not been confirmed by UKMTO, the ship’s operator or any government. Defense and Tech has not found a claim of responsibility for this attack.
The ship
Public AIS records list the Largo Atom as a Liberia-flagged chemical and oil products tanker built in 2025, 183 metres long and 32 metres wide, with a deadweight of 49,740 tonnes (VesselFinder). The same records show it left Kuwait’s Mina al-Ahmadi on 31 October bound for Jebel Ali in the UAE, and later moving at about 1.3 knots. Ras Al Khafji sits near the Saudi-Kuwaiti maritime border, far north of the Strait of Hormuz.
A tug hit in the Strait of Hormuz
Earlier the same day, at 15:09 UTC, UKMTO said the master of a merchant ship had relayed a Mayday call on VHF channel 16 reporting that another vessel had been struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz (UKMTO warning 191-26). Vanguard Tech named that vessel as the offshore tug Selat Storm, about 1,300 dwt, and said it was partially sinking north-west of the Musandam Peninsula. Seatrade Maritime News described it as Panama-flagged and, citing Pole Star Global, said its beneficial owner is Seabulk International. The crew’s condition has not been reported.
Previous attacks
The Maritime Executive counted the Largo Atom as at least the fifth energy vessel hit by suspected Iranian strikes since Thursday 29 October; that attribution is the publication’s assessment, not an official finding. Among them was the Qatari LNG carrier Al Mayeda, which we reported on 1 November. The IRGC Navy separately claimed on 1 November that two crude tankers hit naval mines on what it called an unauthorised route through the strait; those incidents appear to be different from the Ras Al Khafji attack. On the Yemen front, the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted another Houthi ballistic missile on 2 November (see our Hodeidah and Dammam report).
Why it matters
Most recent attacks were reported in or near the Strait of Hormuz. A strike 72 nautical miles off Ras Al Khafji shows that ships in the northern Gulf, close to Kuwaiti and Saudi export routes, are also exposed. No disruption to Saudi or Kuwaiti port operations had been reported at the time of writing. We will update this article if UKMTO, the operator or a government gives more detail.
Sources: UKMTO warnings 191-26 and 192-26; Vanguard Tech via The Maritime Executive; Seatrade Maritime News; VesselFinder AIS data.
