Recent images online seem to show damage and an active fire on the Iranian tanker Sea Star III. This comes just days after the U.S. Navy disabled the vessel with a fighter jet during enforcement operations near the Gulf...
Recent images online seem to show damage and an active fire on the Iranian tanker Sea Star III. This comes just days after the U.S. Navy disabled the vessel with a fighter jet during enforcement operations near the Gulf of Oman.
The photos, shared on Monday, appear to show burn marks and flames near the funnel area of the Sea Star III (IMO 9569205), which is owned by the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC). It's important to note that the tanker is currently not carrying any cargo.
According to TankerTrackers, “The National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) VLCC supertanker SEA STAR III (9569205) after her funnel was fired at by a US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet from the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) on 2026-05-08 at 25.63345, 57.92449.” The coordinates indicate that the tanker is located near the Iranian port of Bandar-e Jask in the eastern Gulf of Oman, just outside the Strait of Hormuz.
The images haven't been independently verified yet. However, the visible damage aligns with reports of strikes that targeted the ship's smokestack. No firefighting boats or response teams are seen in the pictures.
Previously, TankerTrackers reported that satellite images seemed to show both Sea Star III and another vessel, Sevda, anchored off the eastern coast of Iran's Bandar-e Jask peninsula after the attacks.
The Sea Star III was one of two Iranian-flagged tankers hit by U.S. forces on May 8 as part of an expanding naval blockade against Iran by the United States.
U.S. Central Command stated that an F/A-18 Super Hornet, launched from the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), fired precision munitions targeting the smokestacks of both the Sea Star III and the Sevda to prevent them from entering an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman.
According to CENTCOM, the strikes aimed to disable the vessels rather than sink them.
“U.S. forces in the Middle East are committed to fully enforcing the blockade of vessels moving in or out of Iran,” said CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper in a statement issued on May 8. “Our highly trained personnel are doing excellent work.”
The command highlighted that over 50 commercial vessels had already been redirected and several ships disabled as part of the blockade operations.
The U.S. enforcement campaign has increased tensions, with ongoing clashes between Iranian and American forces in and around the Strait of Hormuz. This includes missile and drone attacks on commercial ships, sea mine threats, and retaliatory strikes targeting naval assets linked to Iran.
Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz continues to be severely affected, despite various diplomatic efforts to stabilize the region.