Tension in Gulf of Oman: hijacked ship bound for Iran abandoned by attackers

The British Navy said on Wednesday that the armed attackers who allegedly hijacked a ship in the Gulf of Oman bound for Iran left the ship and it is now “safe”, in what is another incident in this area.

The British Navy’s Commercial Maritime Operations Entity (UKMTO), which provides information for international maritime trade, said on its website that the incident was “closed” after “the attackers left the ship”, stating that the vessel is “safe”, without giving further details.

This Tuesday, the UKMTO denounced the “Possible hijacking” of a vessel off the United Arab Emirates, about 60 nautical miles (110 kilometers) from the city of Fujairah. Marine safety analysts from Dryad Global and Aurora Intelligence have identified the vessel in distress as the “Asphalt Princess”, with the Panamanian flag.

The Web Maritime traffic He identified it as a tar and bitumen cargo ship heading for Sohar, a port city on the north coast of Oman. According to magazine data Lloyd’s List, benchmark in the sector, the ship was bound for Iran under the control of armed men.

“The first information is very worrying”, admitted earlier the spokeswoman for the White House. Jen psaki, without providing more details on this subject.

The spokesperson for the US State Department, Ned Prize, avoided attributing culprits to this episode, but He spoke of “very worrying bellicose behavior on the part of Iran, including at the maritime level”.

The owner of the vessel, listed as Glory International, based in an Emirati free zone, could not be reached immediately for comment on Tuesday evening.

The US Army’s 5th Fleet, stationed in the Middle East, and the UK Ministry of Defense have so far not responded to calls from the agency. PA. The UAE government, meanwhile, has yet to comment on the incident.

UKMTO (United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations), part of the British Navy, He recommended “extreme caution” to ships sailing in the region.

Previously, six oil tankers advertised via their automatic identification system trackers, that “they weren’t in charge”, according to MarineTraffic.com. It usually means that the vessel has lost power and cannot continue to navigate.

“It is very rare for that to happen if they are in the same neighborhood and in the same location,” he said. Ranjith Raja, data company expert in oil and maritime transport Refintive. “Not all ships would lose their engine power or their ability to maneuver at the same time.”

One of the ships started to move later.

An Omani maritime patrol aircraft, an Airbus C-295MPA, circled for hours over the area where the ships were, as detailed by FlightRadar24.com.

In apparent response to the incident, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Said Khatibzadeh, called the recent maritime attacks in the region “completely suspect”. He also denied that the Persian regime was involved and offered to help with any rescue operations in the area.

“Reaffirming our strong commitment to regional stability and maritime security, Iran stands ready to offer assistance in the event of a maritime accident,” he said.

The incident also came amid mounting tensions between Iran and the West over its nuclear deal, and at a time when commercial shipping in the region is in the spotlight.

Tuesday’s event took place near the Strait of Hormuz, an area where one-third of the world’s oil transported by sea transit, and just five days after the attack on an oil tanker off Oman, which left two people dead.

Israel and the United States blamed the attack on the Iranian regime, which denied any involvement and promised to respond to threats of retaliation from those countries.

This ship attacked on Thursday, “Rue Mercier”, arrived Monday evening in the anchorage area off Fujairah, one of the seven members of the federation of the United Arab Emirates, a neighboring country of Oman.

US blames Iran for deadly attack on Israeli billionaire-led oil tanker off Oman coast. “After examining the available information, we are convinced that Iran carried out this attack,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

The tanker “Mercer Street” was attacked with a drone Thursday in the northern Indian Ocean, in an operation that killed two crew members, a British and a Romanian.

“We are working with our partners to review our next steps and consult with governments inside and outside the region on an appropriate response.Blinken added.

For its part, The UK has also joined with the US and Israel in claiming that Iran carried out the deadly drone attack on the tanker in the Arabian Sea near Oman., increasing pressure on Tehran while denying its involvement in the attack.

Calling it an “unlawful and ruthless attack”British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said his country and its allies were planning a coordinated response to Thursday night’s attack on the tanker Mercer Street. This is the first fatal attack in question after years of attacks on commercial shipping in the region associated with tensions with Iran over its broken nuclear deal..

(With information from AFP and AP)

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