- The armed group who seized a tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has left the targeted ship, the British navy reported.
- The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations revealed that the incident, which was described as a “potential hijack”, was now “complete.”
Oman on Wednesday identified the Panama-flagged Asphalt Princess as the tanker involved in a hijacking which Britain’s maritime trade agency earlier said was over, reports Reuters.
Armed Men Hijack Tanker Off UAE Coast
UKMTO initially reported a “non-piracy” incident on the unidentified ship before updating its description. The incident occurred off the UAE coast, approximately 60 nautical miles from Fujairah.
Maritime security analysts at Dryad Global have identified the ship as the bitumen tanker Asphalt Princess.
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UKMTO’s Statement
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said in a warning notice based on a third-party source on Wednesday that people who had boarded a tanker involved in a “potential hijack” had since left and that the vessel, which it did not identify, was safe.
The AIS tracking status of the asphalt/bitumen tanker Asphalt Princess was “Underway Using Engine” early on Wednesday, according to Refinitiv ship tracking data.
Oman Security Centre’s Statement
The Oman Maritime Security Centre said in a statement it had received information about the Asphalt Princess being subjected “to a hijacking incident in international waters in the Gulf of Oman”, but gave no further details.
“The Royal Air Force of Oman is carrying out sorties near the area, and the Royal Navy of Oman deployed several ships to help secure international waters in the region,” it added.
A kind of Psychological Warfare
The boarding took place in an area in the Arabian Sea leading to the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for about a fifth of the world’s sea-borne oil exports.
Iran’s senior armed forces spokesman, Abolfazl Shekarchi, on Tuesday denounced reports of maritime incidents and hijacking in the Gulf area as “a kind of psychological warfare and setting the stage for new bouts of adventurism”.
Tensions have simmered in the region after a suspected drone attack last week on an Israeli-managed tanker off the Omani coast killed two crew and was blamed on Iran by the United States, Israel and Britain. Iran denied responsibility.
Country firms’ response to the incident
The United States and Britain have said they would work with allies to respond to the attack on the Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned petroleum product tanker.
Tehran has said it would respond to any threat against its security.
Regional tensions have worsened since 2018, when Washington re-imposed sanctions on Iran after abandoning a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and global powers.
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Source : Reuters
