23 sailors rescued after bulk carrier collision off Iran’s Qeshm Island

Twenty-three sailors were safely evacuated Tuesday from a bulk carrier that sustained severe damage in a collision north of Iran’s Qeshm Island, local media reported.

Iran’s Fars News Agency said authorities in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas received a report of a maritime collision early Tuesday.

Preliminary investigations showed that a bulk carrier collided with another vessel at sea, the agency said.

A pilot boat and a tugboat were dispatched to the site in coordination with the Hormuzgan Province Maritime Search and Rescue Center to respond to the emergency and assess the extent of the damage.

The bulk carrier, carrying 23 sailors, sustained major damage to the middle section of its hull and began taking on water, prompting the captain to order the crew to abandon ship.

All 23 foreign crew members were evacuated safely and taken to Qeshm Island, according to the report.

The cause of the collision remains under investigation.

Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported earlier Tuesday that explosions were heard in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, while six explosions were reported on Kish Island and additional blasts on Qeshm Island.

The incidents came amid heightened security tensions around the Strait of Hormuz following the war launched by the US and Israel against Iran on Feb. 28, 2026.

Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding in June that included a ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Pakistan as a step toward a final agreement to end the war. US President Donald Trump announced on July 8 that the ceasefire “is over” following renewed hostilities.