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Two tankers hit in Middle East amid Abe visit
Dubai: Two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz were reportedly attacked on Thursday, an assault that left one ablaze and adrift as sailors were evacuated from both vessels and the US Navy rushed to assist amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.
"We are aware of the reported attack on tankers in the Gulf of Oman. US Naval Forces in the region received two separate distress calls at 6.12am local time and a second one at 7.00am," Joshua Frey of the US Navy's Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet said.
The MT Front Altair in Belgium in 2018. Credit: Marine Traffic
Iranian search and rescue teams picked up 44 sailors from the two damaged tankers, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported on Thursday, citing an unnamed informed source.
The sailors were taken to the Iranian port of Jask, IRNA reported.
Benchmark Brent crude spiked at one point by as much 4 per cent in trading following the reported attack, to over $US62 a barrel, highlighting how crucial the area remains to global energy supplies. A third of all oil traded by sea passes through the strait, which is the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani listens during a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tehran.Credit: AP
A British maritime safety group had earlier warned of an unspecified incident in the Gulf of Oman and urged "extreme caution" amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran and a high-stakes visit by the Japanese Prime Minister to Iran.
Iranian media claimed - without offering any evidence - that there had been an explosion in the area targeting oil tankers. A private intelligence firm later said an oil tanker was adrift and on fire.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which is run by the British navy, put out the alert but did not elaborate on the incident. It said it was investigating.
Dryad Global, a maritime intelligence firm, preliminarily identified one of the vessels involved as the MT Front Altair, a Marshall Islands-flagged crude oil tanker. The vessel was βon fire and adrift,β Dryad added. It did not offer a cause for the incident or mention the second ship.
The firm that operates the Front Altair told The Associated Press that an explosion was the cause of the fire onboard. International Tanker Management declined to comment further saying they are still investigating what caused the explosion. Its crew of 23 is safe after being evacuated by the nearby Hyundai Dubai vessel, it said.
A live image from Marine Traffic shows the location of Kokura Courageous off the coast of Iran.Credit: Marine Traffic
The second vessel was identified as the Kokuka Courageous. BSM Ship Management said it sustained hull damage and 21 sailors had been evacuated, with one suffering minor injuries. Iranian state television said 44 sailors from the two tankers have been transferred to an Iranian port in the southern province of Hormozgan.
Japan's top government spokesman said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's high-stakes trip to Iran was intended to help de-escalate tensions in the Middle East - and not specifically mediate between Tehran and Washington. Abe is the first sitting Japanese prime minister to visit Tehran since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, meets with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Thursday.Credit: AP
Abe met Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday, the second and final day of a visit that was not expected to produce immediate diplomatic results.
On Wednesday, after talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Abe warned any "accidental conflict" that could be sparked amid the heightened US-Iran tensions must be avoided.
Tensions have escalated in the Middle East and Iran appears poised to break the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. US President Donald Trump pulled out of the agreement last year.
AP, Reuters