Tensions in the Middle East are escalating again as a tanker was reported on fire after explosive devices were attached to its hull while the vessel was attempting to transit outbound in the Strait of Hormuz.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which is affiliated with the Royal Navy, said in a warning notice that it had received a third report on Thursday that a tanker transiting outbound was on fire 25 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman, in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a subsequent update, UKMTO said it had received “a verified report confirming the crew is safe, and there is no environmental impact.”
According to this report, the tanker was approached on the port side by a small boat which attached two explosive devices to the hull above the waterline.
“The subsequent blasts resulted in a fire in the engine room which temporarily disabled the vessel. The fire is now reported as extinguished and the vessel is continuing to its next port of call,” UKMTO said.
Separately, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed on Thursday that four tankers had struck mines in the Strait of Hormuz and disputed the U.S. Central Command’s claim that U.S. forces had cleared the primary transit routes of mines.
“The reality of the Strait of Hormuz is determined in the air, on land and at sea, not on social media and in America’s media war rooms,” IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebi said, as quoted by CNBC.
The renewed tensions and the continued Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure sent oil prices rising again early on Friday.
Oil is on track for its fourth consecutive monthly gain, with Brent Crude prices hitting $117 per barrel in Asian trade amid market concerns and fears that an escalation in Iran is imminent following the U.S. midterm elections on November 3.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
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