Supertanker Set Ablaze in the Strait of Hormuz as US Disables Blockade-Runner
The UK maritime agency said an outbound tanker was struck by an unknown projectile, sparking a fire. Hours earlier, a US fighter jet disabled a Panama-flagged ship that had docked at an Iranian port.
An oil supertanker caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend after it was struck by an unknown projectile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said. The outbound vessel took the hit on its port side. The crew were reported safe. Damage and environmental impact were unknown at the time of the report.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps gave a different account. It said the tanker struck one of its naval mines and exploded. The ship had switched off its navigation and GPS systems and was traveling a route Tehran calls unauthorized, according to the IRGC. The unit shared video of the tanker burning on the water. “A devastating fire is the fate of any tanker that violates the rules and disregards security in the Strait of Hormuz,” the unit said in a statement.
The fire came hours after the United States confirmed it had disabled a commercial ship that tried to run its naval blockade of Iran. US Central Command said a fighter jet struck the stern of the Panama-flagged M/V Ocean Molica — also known as the Arika Sun — with a precision munition, fully disabling its propulsion. No crew were harmed, CENTCOM said. The ship had docked at an Iranian port and was heading for international waters.
The United States has disabled four ships and turned back 135 since renewing the blockade three months ago, CENTCOM said.
Iran says its mines did the job. The IRGC said the weekend blast was the third time in two days that a tanker using an unauthorized route hit a mine and caught fire. The unit said another supertanker struck a mine on Saturday, and on Friday its forces hit the liquefied petroleum gas carrier NV Sunshine, setting fire to its engine room and propulsion system. Tehran blamed the US military for the rising tension in the region.
On Sunday, Iran's army chief of staff, Habibollah Sayyari, said Iranian forces were ready for defensive and offensive operations. “We have struck blows against enemy vessels,” he said on state television. “If anything else happens against Iran, we will strike them again.”
The strait has seen near-daily attacks in recent weeks. The United Nations' International Maritime Organization counted at least 11 tankers attacked in the week that ended Oct. 4 — the most strikes on commercial ships in the strait since the war began in February. Another 10 strikes occurred last week, including one that injured 12 Indian sailors aboard the UAE-owned On Peace oil tanker.
