Two Oil Tankers Hit By Missiles Near Persian Gulf Amidst Deteriorating Security Situation In The Gulf

Two oil tankers were struck by missiles close to the Persian Gulf, as naval conflict heightens between the U.S. and Iran.

One tanker was north of Oman while the second one was further south.

The former was identified as Skylight tanker, a small vessel sanctioned by America. Its 20 crew members were rescued, and 4 among them suffered from critical injuries.

However, it remains unclear who attacked Skylight, a relatively small ship of just over 11,000 deadweight tons, while the biggest crude oil tankers are over 300,000 deadweight tons.

The tanker sails under the Republic of Palau flag, designated as medium risk on a “black list” published by the Paris Memorandum on Port State Control.

The latter, called MKD Vyom, was hit further south, around 50 miles from the Omani Coast.

Per UKMTO, another vessel was struck by a projectile, which caused an onboard fire that has now been brought under control.

The vessel was subsequently identified by Norway’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre at Stavanger.

These two incidents highlight the declining maritime security situation in the Middle Eastern waters as the U.S. and Iran continue to attack each other’s critical assets in the region.

Many ships reported receiving radio broadcasts from the Iranian Navy stating that passing through the Strait was prohibited.

Tehran has warned U.S vessels, but no formal announcement regarding the closure has been made.

Source: Maritime Shipping News