Sea transport is an increasingly dangerous activity. While trade in the Red Sea is threatened by attacks by Yemeni rebels, a new incident occurred this Thursday. Armed men “in military uniforms” boarded an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, the British Maritime Safety Agency (UKMTO) and the private company Ambrey reported.
According to the UKMTO, “four to five unauthorized persons” boarded the boat, which was traveling off the city of Sohar in the north of the sultanate. The people wore “black military uniforms” and masks of the same color, she said. According to private maritime security company Ambrey, the incident occurred at around 7:30 a.m. (4:30 a.m. French time) on board the St Nikolas, an oil tanker flying the Marshall Islands flag, which was then heading towards Bandar-e Jask, on the Southern coast of Iran.
A cargo seized by the United States
Empire Navigation, the Greek group that operates the St. Nikolas, said in a statement that it had “lost contact” with the ship and the 19 crew members – 18 Filipinos and one Greek. The ship loaded “a cargo of approximately 145,000 tons of crude oil destined for Aliaga (Turkey) via the Suez Canal” in Basra, Iraq, he said.
“The people were covering the ship’s cameras,” Ambrey said, citing a security official who heard “unknown voices” on the phone as well as those of the captain. The recently renamed tanker had been prosecuted and fined in the past for transporting Iranian oil under sanctions. According to the British company, the cargo was subsequently confiscated by American authorities.
Dangerous transport
“Iran has previously taken action against those it accuses of collaborating with the United States,” she added. The Gulf of Oman, a key shipping route for the oil industry, has been the scene of a number of incidents and attacks in recent years, often involving Iran.
Maritime traffic in this oil-rich region is also under pressure due to drone and missile attacks by Yemeni rebels in the Red Sea.