ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least one person has fallen “casualty” and two others went missing after an oil tanker caught fire off the coast of Oman, the British navy monitor reported on Wednesday. This as the US Central Command (CENTCOM) later in the day reported that its forces disabled an Iran-bound vessel as it transited the same waters.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said that an “incident” occurred about 20 nautical miles (NM) northeast of the northern Omani port city of Sohar, adding that “local authorities have reported that a tanker has experienced a fire in its engine room and are on the scene assisting with the evacuation of the crew.”
The monitor further stated that the vessel reported “one casualty and two crew members missing,” noting that no environmental impact has been reported so far, while “authorities continue to investigate.”
Later in the day, CENTCOM said that US forces disabled a Palau-flagged motor tanker, Settebello, “as it transited the Gulf of Oman,” detailing that a US aircraft “fired precision munitions into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces.”
The incident comes shortly after Muscat’s main state-affiliated oil and gas producer, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), said on Friday that operations at the country’s primary export hub, Mina al-Fahal, were continuing “normally,” after media reports claimed that an explosion - reportedly caused by a suspected drone attack - had taken place.
Earlier that day, Reuters quoted three sources as saying that oil loading had been suspended following an explosion near its mooring berths.
“The explosion occurred between single-buoy mooring (SBM) 1 and 2 berths due to an alleged drone attack,” the sources said, according to the report.
The incidents come amid escalating tensions between Iran and the US in the Persian Gulf region, near the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman, and as diplomatic efforts are ongoing to secure a comprehensive resolution to the Iran war.
The US and Israel in late February launched a large-scale aerial campaign against Iran, striking thousands of targets across the country over six weeks of hostilities, before the warring sides agreed to a Pakistan-mediated ceasefire on April 8, halting fighting to allow space for talks.
While the first round of talks concluded without a final agreement on April 11, a second round has yet to take place.
Alongside the diplomatic efforts, Tehran and Washington engaged in reciprocal maritime measures. Iran tightened its control over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while the US imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports beginning April 13.
Moreover, the development comes as Tehran and Washington have exchanged missile strikes against dozens of targets on Wednesday morning, after a US Army Apache helicopter was downed in an attack that the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said was carried out by Iran
Moreover, the development comes as Tehran and Washington earlier on Wednesday exchanged strikes following the downing of a US army Apache helicopter over Hormuz, which the US Central Command (CENTCOM) says Tehran stands behind.
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