Video Shows Massive Fire Erupting From Oil Tankers After Collision

A footage captured the terrifying moment two large tankers collided and burst into flames in the Gulf of Oman early Tuesday morning.

The vessels involved in the incident were the VLCC supertanker Front Eagle, loaded with around two million barrels of Iraqi crude oil, and the Suezmax tanker Adalynn, which was operating in ballast and headed toward Egypt.

The collision occurred around 00:15 local time on June 17, approximately 22 nautical miles off the coast of Khor Fakkan, UAE.

According to tanker monitoring services, the Front Eagle was travelling southbound at 13.1 knots when it made a starboard (right) turn, striking the port quarter of the Adalynn, which was moving southeast at 4.8 knots.

The collision caused fires on both vessels, with video footage showing the Adalynn fully engulfed in flames.

‘Dark fleet’ tanker MV Adalynn (165,000-dwt) on fire after being struck by another tanker MV Front Eagle (300,000-dwt ) just south of Strait of Hormuz in early hours of this morning.

All 24 crew of Adalynn safely evacuated. No casualties on Front Eagle.

Believed to be caused by… pic.twitter.com/shylx7cfHE

— Navy Lookout (@NavyLookout) June 17, 2025

All 24 crew members aboard the Adalynn were successfully rescued by the UAE Coast Guard and brought to Khor Fakkan Port. Reports confirm that there were no casualties or major injuries aboard either vessel.

Frontline Plc, the Norwegian owner of the Front Eagle, stated that firefighting efforts aboard their vessel were successful and that all personnel on board were safe. The company said that the collision was the result of a navigational error and not related to regional hostilities, which have been intensifying due to the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.

The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) supported this assessment, stating that while the region faces heightened threats and GNSS interference, there was no sign of outside interference or hostile activity in this case. Commercial traffic continues to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which remains open.

Tankers collide in Gulf of Oman

A collision between the crude oil #tankers Adalynn and Front Eagle occurred at 21.14 UTC on 16 June near the Khor Fakkan anchorage.
According to #MarineTraffic data, the Liberian-flagged Front Eagle was laden and headed for Zhoushan, China.… pic.twitter.com/js8E0tXeT7

— MarineTraffic (@MarineTraffic) June 17, 2025

Tracking data and ownership records has revealed that the tanker Adalynn may be linked to the “dark fleet”- ships that operate in violation of international sanctions. According to Bloomberg and maritime sources, Adalynn often sailed between Ust-Luga in Russia and Vadinar in India, routes tied to sanctioned Russian oil trade.

Though the ship was not carrying cargo during the crash, it had previously been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury for trading Venezuelan oil. It was removed from the sanctions list in 2024 after a reported change in ownership. Adalynn now sails under the Antigua flag and is managed by a Mumbai-based company, which also runs another vessel, Carcharodon, still under UK sanctions.

Authorities from Fujairah and Khor Fakkan Port Control, along with the UAE Coast Guard are investigating the cause of the incident.

According to TankerTrackers.com and Pole Star AIS data, the tanker Adalynn had been anchored off Khor Fakkan for several weeks before the accident. It had earlier undergone maintenance at Duqm port in Oman and had passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait several times during increased Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

Reference: gbnews

Source: Maritime Shipping News