Iran seized an oil tanker in international waters in the Gulf of Oman, the U.S. Navy said, the latest in a string of attacks or seizures of commercial vessels in sensitive Gulf waters since 2019.
The Iranian military said a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker was seized in the Gulf of Oman after it collided with an Iranian boat, injuring several crew members.
Two crew members of the boat are missing and several have been injured due to the collision with the boat, the army said in a statement.
The US Navy identified the vessel as the ‘Advantage Suite’, a Suzmax crude tanker chartered by oil major Chevron and last docked in Kuwait.
Vessel surveillance data showed that the vessel’s destination was listed as the US Gulf of Mexico port of Houston.
The ship’s manager is listed as a Turkey-based company, Genel Denizcilik Nikaliati AS, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the Marshall Islands Ship Registry also immediately responded to a request for comment. Didn’t answer.
The U.S. Navy said that Iran’s continued harassment of ships and interference with the rights of ships in territorial waters pose a threat to maritime security and the global economy, and that over the past two years, Iran has illegally attacked at least At least 5 merchant ships have been captured’.
Iranian officials did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
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2024-08-21 06:41:20
