An oil tanker caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz after striking a sea mine, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said. According to the military formation, the ship had used a route designated by Tehran as unauthorized and had passed through an area about which warnings had been issued.
The statement said that two tankers had been affected, one of them a supertanker. The Associated Press, however, reported that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard was referring to three vessels that had struck mines and burst into flames. The discrepancy in the number of ships has not been clarified.
The Iranian military did not identify the vessels, their flags or their owners. No information was released about casualties, injured sailors or the extent of the damage. The claim that sea mines caused the fires has not been independently confirmed.
Discrepancies in reports about the incidents
Reuters reported that published video footage showed a burning tanker off the coast of Oman. According to the agency, the vessel was linked to Navig8 and was one of the ships affected while attempting to pass through routes that Iran designates as unauthorized. Reuters did not independently confirm that the fire was caused by a mine.
The Iranian side claims that the ships had switched off their navigation and identification systems. On November 7, the Iranian navy reported another tanker which, according to them, had struck a mine in the eastern part of the strait after entering a prohibited area.
“This will be the fate of all ships that ignore the warnings and enter prohibited areas,” the Iranian navy said.New risk for shipping
The series of reports comes amid continuing attacks and incidents involving commercial vessels in the area. At the beginning of November, Iran also reported fires on two tankers and a tugboat, while in other cases the British maritime operations organization reported vessels hit by unknown means.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most important routes for global oil trade. Each new incident increases the risk to crews, delays the passage of ships and could lead to additional insurance costs and expenses for alternative routes.
So far, there is no information about when normal traffic through the area will resume. It has also not been reported whether international operations to inspect or neutralize suspected sea mines have begun.
Sources: apnews.com, iranintl.com, investing.com