Hijackers who seized a vessel off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in the Gulf of Oman have left the ship, according to the Royal Navy.
Recorded radio traffic appeared to reveal a crew member onboard saying Iranian gunmen had stormed the asphalt tanker.
The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported that the incident, which it had described as a “potential hijack” the night before, was “complete”. It did not provide further details.
“The vessel is safe,” the group said, without identifying the ship.
Shipping authority Lloyd’s List and maritime intelligence firm Dryad Global had identified the hijacked vessel as Panama-flagged asphalt tanker Asphalt Princess.
Hijackers who seized a vessel off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in the Gulf of Oman have left the ship, according to the Royal Navy.
The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported that the incident, which it had described as a “potential hijack” the night before, was “complete”. It did not provide further details.
“The vessel is safe,” the group said, without identifying the ship.
Shipping authority Lloyd’s List and maritime intelligence firm Dryad Global had identified the hijacked vessel as Panama-flagged asphalt tanker Asphalt Princess.
The vessel’s owner, listed as Emirati free zone-based Glory International, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Suspected Hijacking Reported In Persian Gulf; Iran Denies Involvement
RFE
04 Aug 2021, 16:15 GMT+10
The British Navy reported the potential hijack of a ship off the coast of the United Arab Emirates on August 3, days after a suspected Iranian attack on another tanker left two dead.
Iran s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) denied that its forces or allies were behind any incident off the U.A.E., which maritime security sources reported involved the Panama-flagged Asphalt Princess.
Any incident is an attempt by Western countries and Israel to prepare the public opinion of the international community for hostile action against Iran, the IRGC said in a statement run on state media.
DUBAI: The British navy warned on Tuesday of a potential hijack of a ship off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in the Gulf of Oman, without elaborating.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the West over its tattered nuclear deal and as commercial shipping in the region has found itself in the crosshairs over it. Most recently, the US, the UK and Israel have blamed Iran for a drone attack on an oil tanker off Oman that killed two people. Iran has denied being involved.
The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations initially warned ships on Tuesday that an “incident is currently underway” off the coast of Fujairah. Hours later, they said the incident was a potential hijack. They did not elaborate.
Steven Hall
The British navy said there was a “potential hijack” of a ship Tuesday off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in the Gulf of Oman near Iran.
A branch of the navy first warned Tuesday morning that “an incident is currently underway” off the coast of Fujairah, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. A few hours later authorities said the incident was a “potential hijack” of the Asphalt Princess, a Panama-flagged asphalt tanker, according to the Associated Press.
Six oil tankers earlier announced with their Automatic Identification System trackers that they were “not under command,” according to the AP, meaning the ships had likely lost power and were unable to navigate.