August 2021 Gulf of Oman incident
24°35′42″N 57°17′10″E / 24.595°N 57.286°E
Part of the 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis | |
Date | 3 August 2021 |
---|---|
Location | ~61 NM East of Fujairah, Gulf of Oman, Indian Ocean |
Coordinates | 2459.5N 05728.6E |
Target | Asphalt Princess |
Property damage | 1 merchant ship damaged |
Suspects | Iran (alleged by US, British and Israeli officials; denied by Iran) |
On 3 August 2021 the asphalt tanker Asphalt Princess, travelling from Khor Fakkan, the United Arab Emirates, to the Sohar, Oman, was attacked and boarded in the Gulf of Oman. The ship is flagged in Panama. The vessel is owned by Glory International, listed as based in the Emirati free zone.[1]
In early August 2021, the Asphalt Princess was widely reported in the
The attack was preceded by three similar maritime incidents in May 2019, June 2019 and July 2021.
Incident
On 3 August 2021, four oil tankers called Queen Ematha, Golden Brilliant, Jag Pooja, and Abyss, sailing in the Gulf of Oman, announced around the same time that they were “not under command."[1][7]
At 14:18
At 04:44 UTC on 4 August, UKMTO released an update declaring the incident a “potential hijacking”, where a group of eight or nine armed individuals were believed to have boarded the vessel without authorisation and ordered the ship to sail to Iran.[9][10]
At 05:32 UTC on 4 August, the UKMTO reported that the boarders had left the vessel and that the vessel was safe, signifying an end to the incident.[11]
At 07:26 UTC on 4 August,
Reactions
Iran denied having any role in the incident. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said on August 3 that the recent maritime attacks in the Persian Gulf were "completely suspicious", while an armed forces spokesman dismissed reports of the incident as "psychological warfare".[13][14]
Oman confirmed the hijacking of the Asphalt Princess in a statement on 4 August, and the Sultanate's Navy said it deployed several ships to the Gulf of Oman "to help secure international waters."[15]
See also
References
- ^ a b Debre, Isabel; Gambrell, Jon (3 August 2021). "British navy group: 'Potential hijack' of ship off UAE coast". AP NEWS. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ Haynes, Deborah. "Iran-backed armed attackers suspected of seizing tanker off UAE coast". Sky News. Sky Group. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ British Broadcasting Corporation. 3 August 2021. Archivedfrom the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ Oliphant, Roland; Rothwell, James; Sheridan, Danielle (3 August 2021). "Iran 'hijacks' oil tanker in Gulf of Oman". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- Canary Wharf, London: Thomson Reuters. Archived from the originalon 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- The Jerusalem Post Group. 3 August 2021. Archived from the originalon 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ "'Potential hijack' as armed attackers believed to have seized tanker off UAE coast". Sky News. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. Portsmouth: Maritime Trade Information Centre. Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. Portsmouth: Maritime Trade Information Centre. Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- ^ Haynes, Deborah (4 August 2021). "Iran-backed armed attackers suspected of seizing tanker off UAE coast". Sky News. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. Portsmouth: Maritime Trade Information Centre. p. 1. Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- ^ "الجزيرة مباشر الآن @ajmurgent". Twitter (in Arabic). Al Jazeera. 3 August 2021. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- ^ "Hijackers have left vessel off UAE coast, says British navy group". euronews. 4 August 2021. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- ^ Barrington, Lisa; Saul, Jonathan (3 August 2021). "Iran-backed forces seize tanker, maritime sources say; Iran denies it". Reuters. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- ^ Ghantous, Ghaida (4 August 2021). Williams, Alison (ed.). "Oman confirms Asphalt Princess tanker had been hijacked in Arabian Sea". Reuters. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.