KHOR FAKKAN: British maritime security firm Ambrey said early on Tuesday the cause of an incident 22 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates, near the Strait of Hormuz, was not security-related.
It didn’t provide any details about the incident.
The event unfolded as tensions escalated between Israel and Iran, with both nations exchanging attacks for a fifth consecutive day following Israel’s widescale strikes on Friday aimed at preventing Tehran from building an atomic weapon.
The Strait of Hormuz lies between Oman and Iran and links the Gulf north of it with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond.
About a fifth of the world’s total oil consumption passes through the strait. Between the start of 2022 and last month, roughly 17.8 million to 20.8 million barrels of crude, condensate and fuels flowed through the strait daily, according to data from Vortexa.
There was no immediate response to Reuters’ request for comment from the Emirati foreign ministry or Khor Fakkan container terminal in the early hours of Tuesday.
SHIPS CAUGHT FIRE
While no details have been given by the British authorities, the incident may be related to the three ships that were seen burning near the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran in the Gulf of Oman.
Three active fires can also be seen on NASA’s fire map, Iranian Press TV reported on Tuesday.
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