Oil tanker explodes after striking naval mine in Strait of Hormuz

The naval forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have said that an oil supertanker struck a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a massive explosion and fire.
In a statement published by the semi-official Tasnim News Agency, the IRGC Navy said the vessel was carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil when it struck the mine while passing through the strategically important waterway.
The IRGC Navy described the vessel as a “reckless” or non-compliant tanker. It claimed that the ship had switched off its navigation and radar systems. The force also alleged that the vessel was attempting to transport cargo through the Strait of Hormuz by taking advantage of US military assistance.
However, the statement did not identify the vessel, its owner or the country whose flag it was flying. It also provided no information about casualties or the extent of the damage.
Iranian state-funded broadcaster Press TV released a video that it claimed came from the IRGC. According to the broadcaster, the footage showed an explosion aboard a supertanker after it struck a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier, Iranian media reports said the oil supertanker had caught fire while attempting to cross the strait through an “unauthorised” route. The IRGC had claimed that the vessel had disabled its location-tracking system.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has reported that 12 attacks occurred during the period covered by its latest weekly report. Of these, 10 took place in the Strait of Hormuz, one in the Persian Gulf and one in the Gulf of Oman.
According to the UKMTO report, six of the vessels involved continued their journeys or reached ports. One vessel went missing, while two became disabled or were left out of control. The damage or outcomes of the remaining three incidents could not be confirmed.
However, UKMTO has acknowledged difficulties in determining the actual number of attacks. The agency said most vessels targeted in the incidents were reluctant to report them. Information obtained from other sources could not always be independently verified.
UKMTO also reported that shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz had fallen by around 70 percent compared with the period before the war began. However, the figures available for vessel movements facilitated by US assistance could not be independently verified.
These incidents are taking place amid rising tensions between Iran and the United States over energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping through this vital global oil and gas route has been severely disrupted since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28.
Source: Al Jazeera