Muscat. Oman said on Friday it had rescued 25 crew members from a merchant ship that caught fire in the attack. Meanwhile, Iran said it stopped three oil tankers trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
Due to the war that started after the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, Tehran has been blocking traffic on the waterway, which transports about one-fifth of the world’s oil.
According to the Maritime Safety Center of Oman, the fire broke out when a merchant ship named “RITI” flying the flag of Panama was attacked. Then the Omani Navy rescued 25 people on board. It is mentioned in the statement that they have also been provided with necessary medical treatment. According to the ship tracking website Marine Traffic, the ship is a crude oil tanker.
Meanwhile, Brad Cooper, the head of the US Central Command, said that the US military has removed sea mines in the international waterways of the Strait of Hormuz. He said that US forces are deployed to keep the waterways open and safe.
According to the British Maritime Safety Organization (UKMTO), the fire broke out on Friday when another vessel was hit by an unknown object about 74 kilometers south of Iran’s Lavan Island. The agency said that the ship’s crew is safe and there are no reports of environmental damage.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) has said that it has stopped three oil tankers that used an unauthorized route. Gadrus alleged that the ship turned off its navigation and location identification system and ignored the Iranian warning. Iran said that one of the tankers contained two million barrels of oil and collided with a naval mine tunnel and caught fire.
Iran has been demanding that ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz use a designated route and coordinate with the Iranian military about the voyage.
In response to Iran’s blockade of waterways, the US has counter-blocked Iranian ports. This has created further restrictions on Iran’s oil exports and business activities.