Oman's Maritime Security Centre reported that a fire broke out in the engine room of the Panama-flagged oil tanker El Gaia following an attack in the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel is being towed to an Omani port. The incident occurred 1.3 nautical miles (2.4km) north of the Musandam peninsula, according to the centre.
On Monday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed the tanker struck naval mines and caught fire while passing through what they described as a restricted and unsafe route. However, the US military insisted the Iranian report was false, stating the tanker was struck by an Iranian missile last month and again by a drone over the weekend. The conflicting accounts underscore the deep mistrust and escalating tensions in the region.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre also said it received a report of a fire breaking out on board a vessel that was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz in the early hours of Sunday. This mirrors a similar incident earlier this month, when Iran claimed a Saudi-owned oil supertanker, Sidr, caught fire after hitting a naval mine, killing two Filipino sailors. Saudi authorities, however, said the vessel was targeted by Iran, and maritime security firms reported it was hit by projectiles north of Musandam.
According to the International Maritime Organization, at least 22 seafarers have been killed in 79 confirmed incidents in the Strait of Hormuz and the rest of the Middle East since the start of the US and Israel's war with Iran at the end of February. These figures highlight the severe risks faced by commercial shipping in the region.
Also on Tuesday, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency, linked to the Revolutionary Guards, reported that "enemy drones" had targeted two fishing boats in the strait overnight near the Iranian port of Kargan, about 80km (50 miles) north-east of Musandam. Citing the deputy governor of Hormozgan province, Fars said several fishermen were reported missing and a search-and-rescue operation was under way. Later, a spokesman for the US military's Central Command (Centcom) told Axios that its forces had destroyed two boats which tried to steal a sea drone. "Iranian small boats recently attempted to take possession of a US unmanned surface vessel, but they were unsuccessful after Centcom forcefully responded," Capt Tim Hawkins said.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil and gas shipments usually pass, has effectively been closed due to Iranian missile and drone attacks on commercial vessels and a US naval blockade of Iranian ports. The US and Iran reached a preliminary agreement to end the war and reopen the strait in June, but it collapsed within weeks after Iranian attacks on shipping resumed and the US reinstated its blockade. Iran has insisted it will not give up some measure of control over the waterway and has targeted vessels using a southern route through Omani waters that avoids its preferred route through Iranian waters. The situation remains highly volatile, with both sides trading blame and launching retaliatory strikes.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk