Attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman left one ablaze and both adrift, driving oil prices up over worries about Middle East supplies. Two oil tankers were hit in suspected attacks in the Gulf of Oman and the crews have been evacuated, shipping firms and industry sources said on Thursday, a month after a similar incident in which four tankers in the region were struck. One of the tankers, the Front Altair, carrying a cargo of petrochemical feedstock, was ablaze in waters between Gulf Arab states and Iran. Iran's state news agency said it had sunk, although the Norwegian owner had said it was afloat and its crew were safe. The other tanker was adrift without any crew. The Bahrain-based United States Navy Fifth Fleet said it was assisting the tankers after receiving distress calls. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, part of Britain's Royal Navy, said it was investigating with its partners. Details of the incident were not immediately clear, but one operator said it suspected its ship had been hit by a torpedo. Another shipping firm said its vessel was on fire in the Gulf of Oman.
Oil prices surged by 4per cent after the report that has stoked tensions in the region that have already been heightened by attacks last month on Gulf oil assets amid a dispute between Iran and the US over Tehran's nuclear programme. The Gulf of Oman lies at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, a major strategic waterway through which a fifth of global oil consumption passes from Middle East producers. There was no immediate confirmation from authorities in Oman or the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in whose territorial waters four tankers were hit last month. An investigation said limpet mines were used. The US and Saudi officials blamed Iran for the May attack, a charge Tehran has denied.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE said the attacks on oil assets in the Gulf posed a risk to global oil supplies and regional security. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the attacks on the two oil tankers, warning that the world cannot afford “a major confrontation in the Gulf region.” “I strongly condemn any attack against civilian vessels. Facts must be established and responsibilities clarified,” he told a meeting of the UN Security Council on cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States.
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