Oil tanker on fire after hitting mine in Hormuz
‘The tanker attempted to cross the strait with US support... by deactivating all its tracking systems.’
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Saturday said an oil tanker was on fire in the Strait of Hormuz after hitting a mine in the waterway at the heart of the Middle East war.
“A supertanker in violation of regulations, carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil and attempting to pass illegally through the Strait of Hormuz, struck a mine, triggering an explosion and a fierce fire,” the Revolutionary Guards said.
The statement did not specify the exact location of the incident.
Tehran seized control over Hormuz after the start of the war in late February, choking off the strait that normally carries about one-fifth of global oil consumption.
Flanked by Iran to the north and Oman to the south, the Hormuz strait is about 30 kilometers wide at its narrowest point.
Since taking control of the strait, Iran has demanded that all ships seek its authorization before transiting.
“The tanker attempted to cross the strait with US support... by deactivating all its tracking systems,” the Guards added, also posting a video of a vessel in flames during the night.
In response to Tehran’s blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, Washington has imposed its own naval counter-blockade on Iranian oil exports.
This week, the Guards’ naval commander Admiral Ali Ozmai warned that any vessel that deactivated its navigation systems would be considered “hostile.”
Meanwhile, a tanker was struck by an “unknown projectile” off Saudi Arabia’s Gulf coast, forcing the evacuation of its crew, a maritime monitoring agency said on Saturday.
The vessel was hit on Friday, 68 nautical miles off the coast of Jubail, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said, adding that “all crew are reported safe”.
Ships have regularly come under Iranian fire during the Middle East war, as Iran blockades the Strait of Hormuz — the only exit route for oil and gas exports via the Gulf sea.
Vanguard, another maritime security agency, identified the ship as the Marshall Islands-flagged Safeen Principal crude oil tanker, saying it lost power and suffered an engine-room fire.