Two tankers were hit in suspected attacks in the Gulf of Oman and the crew have been evacuated, shipping sources said on Thursday, a month after a similar incident in which four tankers in the region were struck.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, part of the Royal Navy, earlier said it was aware of an incident in the Gulf of Oman.
“UK and its partners are currently investigating,” the group said without elaborating.
Oil prices surged by 4 percent after the report that raises tensions in the Gulf, which have been heightened by a dispute between Iran and the United States.
The area is near the Strait of Hormuz, a major strategic waterway through which a fifth of global oil consumption passes from Middle East producers.
Two tankers, the Marshal Islands-flagged Front Altair and the Panama-flagged Kokuka Courageous, had been evacuated and the crews were safe, four shipping and trade sources said. Kokuka Courageous sustained damage to its hull starboard side.
The Norwegian shipping firm Frontline confirmed that its oil tanker Front Altair was on fire after the incident but its 23 sailors evacuated while BSM Ship Management said the crew of 21 aboard the Kokuka Courageous, which carrying methanol, has also been rescued.
One crew member of Kokuka Courageous was slightly injured in the incident.
Iran state media reported the rescued sailors were transferred to Jask port.
The US Navy’s 5th Fleet said it was assisting two oil tankers targeted in the “reported attack on tankers in the Gulf of Oman.”
The Bahrain-based force did not elaborate on who attacked what it described as two oil tankers. It also did not blame anyone for the attack.
The 5th Fleet said it had sent naval forces to the area to assist the two vessels.
“We are aware of the reported attack on tankers in the Gulf of Oman. U.S. Naval Forces in the region received two separate distress calls at 6:12 A.M. local time and a second one at 7:00 A.M.,” Joshua Frey of the Fifth Fleet told Reuters.
The shipping newspaper Tradewinds reported that a tanker owned by Norway’s Frontline had been struck by a torpedo off the coast of Fujairah, one of the emirates in the United Arab Emirates. It cited unnamed industry sources.Frontline was not immediately available for comment.
One shipping broker said there had been an explosion “suspected from an outside attack” that may have involved a magnetic mine on the Kokuka.
“All crew safely abandoned the vessel and was picked up by Vessel Coastal Ace. Kokuka Courageous is adrift without any crew on board,” the source said.
Another source said the Front Altair reported a fire caused by a “surface attack” and that the crew had been picked up by nearby vessel Hyundai Dubai.