Another two vessels appear to have come under attack in the Mideast Gulf, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said today.
The UKMTO said it had received a report of an incident 137 miles (220km) east of Muscat, Oman, at 19:50 GMT. The vessel master reported a loud explosion in close proximity to the vessel followed by smoke in the water. The vessel and crew are safe and authorities are investigating the incident, the UKMTO said.
The second incident took place seven miles (11km) east of Fujairah, UAE. A vessel was struck by an unknown projectile that caused damage to the steel plating, the vessel master reported to the UKMTO at 22:40 GMT. There was no fire or water intake and all the crew are safe.
The identities of the vessels are unclear.
Ship traffic through the strait of Hormuz — the world’s most critical oil and LNG shipping lane — has almost ground to a halt since US and Israeli forces struck Iran on 28 February.
Only three tankers were recorded sailing through the waterway on 1 March, down by 94pc from 50 tankers on 28 February, the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) said in its most recent update late on 3 March.
Iran on 2 March claimed to have “closed” the strait of Hormuz and announced it intends to burn any ship that tries to pass through. Iran has a drone carrier ship stationed near the strait that it could use to attack transiting ships, according to shipbroker BRS. It also has short-, medium- and long-range missiles to disrupt shipping in the strait.
At least five commercial ships had been attacked in the Mideast Gulf since the conflict began, before today’s incidents. The attacks have taken place in the Gulf of Oman, Musandam approaches and in UAE coastal waters, according to the JMIC.
The Ice front-month May Brent contract was at $82.30/bl at 10.15am Singapore time (02:15 GMT), higher by 90¢/bl from its settlement on 3 March when it ended $3.66/bl higher.
The Nymex front-month April crude contract was at $75.22/bl, higher by 66¢/bl from its settlement on 3 March, when it ended $3.33/bl higher.
- Agencies
