Four oil tankers have caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz after hitting sea mines, the Iranian military said. Three of the incidents were reported by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, while the fourth tanker was reported by the Iranian military.
According to the IRGC, the three ships attempted to pass through an unauthorized route in the southern part of the strait. “Three offending vessels exploded and caught fire after hitting mines“, the IRGC said in a statement.
The IRGC said the tankers had turned off their radar and navigation systems and ignored warnings. The names of the ships, their flags, the origin of the cargo or the number of people on board were not reported.
It has not been confirmed whether the burning ship is among the three tankers
The UK Maritime Trade Operations Organisation reported a burning ship off the coast of Oman. The UKMTO did not specify the cause of the fire or confirm whether it was one of the three vessels mentioned by the CGIR. “The fate of the crew is unknown. There is currently no damage assessment or environmental impact report”, the organisation said.
The Iranian military later reported another tanker, which it said was sailing illegally in a restricted and dangerous area. The vessel was damaged and caught fire after striking sea mines. Again, no details were given about the name of the ship, the crew or the cargo.
Dispute over safe routes
The reports come amid a dispute between Tehran and Washington over the state of sea routes in the strait. US Central Command said it had helped Gulf states move 1.5 billion barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz since the summer and that key routes had been cleared of Iranian mines.
The IRGC rejected that claim. "The unauthorized route has been mined; ship owners and crews are responsible for their passage through such routes," the corps said. His spokesman, Hossein Mohebi, called on CENTCOM to provide independent evidence of the demining, not just claims on social media.
The Strait of Hormuz is bordered by Iran to the north and Oman to the south, and is about 30 kilometers wide at its narrowest point. Before the war in the region began in February, about a fifth of the world's energy supplies passed through it.
Sources: bta.bg, apnews.com, reuters.com