Iranian Involvement Suspected In Hijacking Of Asphalt Princess Tanker
Lloyd’s List reported on Tuesday that the Asphalt Princess had been hijacked by “unauthorized persons”. According to the shipping journal, the individuals that boarded the asphalt tanker in the Gulf of Oman demanded the tanker sail for Iran.
The Lloyd’s List report follows a United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations report earlier on Tuesday of a “potential” hijacking of a ship off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, approximately 60 nautical miles from Fujairah. An initial report by the service had warned shipping in the area of a “non-piracy” incident.
British defense sources that spoke to The Times prior to the release of the Lloyd’s List report had stated that the ship in question was the Asphalt Princess. According to the sources, the British government is now working on the assumption that the tanker had been boarded by either Iranian regular or proxy forces. Similarly, three maritime security officials that spoke to Reuters also suspected Iranian involvement in the incident. Another official that spoke to Sky News said that between eight and nine men are believed to have boarded the tanker.
According to Refinitiv ship tracking data viewed by Reuters, at least five ships in the Gulf of Oman have since reported their status as “Not Under Command”, indicating that they are unable to manoeuvre due to exceptional circumstances. However, Reuters was unable to confirm as of writing whether the status reports are related to the ongoing incident. FlightRadar24 data indicates that a Royal Air Force of Oman C-295 maritime patrol aircraft is flying near the area, although the government of Oman has yet to issue any statements related to the incident as of writing.
The incident comes days after the United Kingdom, United States, Israel and Romania attributed a 29 July attack on the Mercer Street to Iran, with the UK warning of “consequences” for the incident. The UK and Romanian foreign ministries summoned the countries’ Iranian ambassadors for explanations regarding the suicide drone attack on the Israeli-managed, Liberian-flagged tanker, which killed a Romanian national and a British national.
Iran denies any responsibility for the Mercer Street attack, and a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry similarly stated today that the reports of the incidents in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman were “completely suspicious”, warning of efforts to “create a false atmosphere for special political purposes”.