Oman Ship Rescue: 25 Sailors Saved as Hormuz Tanker Crisis Grows

Oman Ship Rescue : Oman has rescued 25 seamen from a burning merchant ship following an attack, while Iran claims three oil tankers have been detained near the Strait of Hormuz. Both accidents were reported on Friday, as tensions in the region continued to disrupt shipping.

Oman’s navy evacuated the crew of the RITI, a Panamanian-flagged ship. According to the country’s Maritime Security Center, the vessel caught fire as a result of an attack.

The rescued seamen got medical attention. However, Omani authorities did not provide any more information regarding their status or the damage to the ship.

MarineTraffic, a ship monitoring website, classifies RITI as a crude oil tanker. Oman did not say who carried out the attack.

Strait of Hormuz Shipping Faces New Risks

A second ship caught fire on Friday, according to Britain’s UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency.

The agency reported that an unknown missile struck a vessel around 40 nautical miles (74 kilometers) south of Iran’s Lavan Island. The impact resulted in a fire onboard.

The UKMTO stated that the crew was safe. It further said that no environmental damage had been recorded at the time of the announcement.

The agency did not identify the missile or assign responsibility for the event. It also did not establish a relationship between this vessel and the RITI.

Meanwhile, the US announced that its forces had cleared the primary recognized commerce routes across the strait of Iranian sea mines.

Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, provided an update in a video posted on Friday. He stated that American soldiers stayed in the region to keep the key roads open and clean.

Cooper also stated that he had visited some of the over 50,000 US troops stationed in the region. He echoed Washington’s prior claims that the US has assisted Gulf nations in exporting more than 1.5 billion barrels of crude oil via the strait since the summer.

Strait of Hormuz Shipping Dispute Deepens

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported that three oil tankers had been halted due to different incidents. It also applied to vessels that collided with mines.

According to the IRGC, two tankers have been intercepted in seas south of the strait. One was in its eastern portion, the other in its western section.

Iran accused the warships of attempting to utilize a route that it does not authorize. The IRGC said that they ignored radio warnings and turned off their navigation and location systems. It further claimed that the ships received US military assistance.

The statement did not provide details on the occurrences involving the two tankers.

Iran wants ships to take a specific path and arrange their transit with its military forces. It thinks a southern corridor along Oman’s coast to be unlawful.

In another statement, the IRGC stated that an explosion caused a supertanker carrying two million barrels of oil to halt. It said the vessel collided with a naval mine while traveling on an unauthorized path.

According to the IRGC, it was the third oil tanker to burst and catch fire that day while attempting to take this route. A day earlier, Iran’s armed forces claimed that at least four tankers had come to a halt in the region after hitting explosives.

The Strait of Hormuz is an important route for international oil supplies. It usually transports around one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.

Restrictions on shipping began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. The US has since enforced a counter-blockade of Iranian ports, reducing Iran’s oil exports and commerce.

The newest occurrences have refocused attention on the safety of ships transiting the strait, where competing regulations and claims of marine threats continue to impede commercial travel.