Iran seized on Friday an oil tanker en route to Singapore after it passed the critical Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East in the first major escalation of the tensions in the region since the Iran-Israel war in June.
The Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Talara was seized by Iranian forces in the Gulf of Oman after having passed the Strait of Hormuz from Ajman in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), heading to Singapore.
Iran’s forces diverted the ship from the international waters to the Iranian territorial waters, a U.S. defense official told AP on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.
The vessel was travelling near Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates when it lost contact with Columbia Shipmanagement, its Cyprus-based manager, the company told Bloomberg.
The tanker Talara had loaded high sulfur gasoil from the UAE’s northeastern deep-water port of Hamriyah in October, according to vessel-tracking data cited by Bloomberg. The Talara has passed the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint and was turning to the Gulf of Oman when the incident took place.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the UK Navy’s liaison in the region, said on Friday that it had received a report of an incident 20 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan, the UAE. Emirates Authorities are investigating while vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO, it said.
A possible “state activity” forced the Talara to turn into Iranian territorial waters, according to UKMTO cited by AP.
Iran has not yet acknowledged or commented on the incident, which reignites the tensions in the Middle East that the oil market seemed to have forgotten in recent months.
In June, with the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and the Israel-Iran war, the oil market was on edge fearing disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of global daily oil consumption passes.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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