24°35′42″N 57°17′10″E / 24.595°N 57.286°E / 24.595; 57.286

August 2021 Gulf of Oman incident
Part of the 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis
Asphalt Princess in 2010 (whilst still called Thalassa Desgagnes)
Date3 August 2021 (2021-08-03)
Location~61 NM East of Fujairah, Gulf of Oman, Indian Ocean
Coordinates2459.5N 05728.6E
TargetAsphalt Princess
Property damage1 merchant ship damaged
Suspects Iran (alleged by US, British and Israeli officials; denied by Iran)

On 3 August 2021 the asphalt tanker Asphalt Princess, travelling from Khor Fakkan, the United Arab Emirates, to the Sohar, Oman, was attacked and boarded in the Gulf of Oman. The ship is flagged in Panama. The vessel is owned by Glory International, listed as based in the Emirati free zone.[1]

In early August 2021, the Asphalt Princess was widely reported in the western media as having been hijacked in the Gulf of Oman, 60 nautical miles (110 km; 69 mi) east the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.[2] The hijackers were allegedly backed by Iran.[3][4][5][6] Shipping near in the Gulf of Oman were advised to exercise “extreme caution” by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) earlier in the day.[3]

The attack was preceded by three similar maritime incidents in May 2019, June 2019 and July 2021.

Incident

On 3 August 2021, four oil tankers called Queen Ematha, Golden Brilliant, Jag Pooja, and Abyss, sailing in the Gulf of Oman, announced around the same time that they were “not under command."[1][7]

At 14:18 UTC on 3 August 2021, watchkeepers at the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) released a warning statement to international shipping that a "non-piracy" incident had taken place 60 nautical miles (110 km; 69 mi) east of the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (at 24°35′42″N 57°17′10″E / 24.595°N 57.286°E / 24.595; 57.286) at 12:30 UTC.[8]

At 04:44 UTC on 4 August, UKMTO released an update declaring the incident a “potential hijacking”, where a group of eight or nine armed individuals were believed to have boarded the vessel without authorisation and ordered the ship to sail to Iran.[9][10]

At 05:32 UTC on 4 August, the UKMTO reported that the boarders had left the vessel and that the vessel was safe, signifying an end to the incident.[11]

At 07:26 UTC on 4 August, Al Jazeera reported on Twitter that the Iranian Armed Forces claimed to be "providing assistance and security for merchant ships" and were ready to send “relief units” to the vessel.[12]

Reactions

Iran denied having any role in the incident. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said on August 3 that the recent maritime attacks in the Persian Gulf were "completely suspicious", while an armed forces spokesman dismissed reports of the incident as "psychological warfare".[13][14]

Oman confirmed the hijacking of the Asphalt Princess in a statement on 4 August, and the Sultanate's Navy said it deployed several ships to the Gulf of Oman "to help secure international waters."[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Debre, Isabel; Gambrell, Jon (3 August 2021). "British navy group: 'Potential hijack' of ship off UAE coast". AP NEWS. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  2. ^ Haynes, Deborah. "Iran-backed armed attackers suspected of seizing tanker off UAE coast". Sky News. Sky Group. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b "MV Asphalt Princess: Ship hijacked off UAE ordered to sail to Iran". BBC News. Broadcasting House, London: British Broadcasting Corporation. 3 August 2021. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  4. ^ Oliphant, Roland; Rothwell, James; Sheridan, Danielle (3 August 2021). "Iran 'hijacks' oil tanker in Gulf of Oman". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  5. ^ Piper, Elizabeth; Smout, Alistair (3 August 2021). "UK sources see Iran involved in potential vessel hijack, says Times newspaper". Reuters. Canary Wharf, London: Thomson Reuters. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Iran suspected of carrying out hijack off UAE coast". The Jerusalem Post. Jerusalem: The Jerusalem Post Group. 3 August 2021. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  7. ^ "'Potential hijack' as armed attackers believed to have seized tanker off UAE coast". Sky News. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  8. ^ Mills, Jon (3 August 2021). "WARNING 00 1 / AUG /2021" (PDF). United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. Portsmouth: Maritime Trade Information Centre. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  9. ^ Mills, Jon (3 August 2021). "WARNING 0 1 / AUG /2021 Update 01" (PDF). United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. Portsmouth: Maritime Trade Information Centre. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  10. ^ Haynes, Deborah (4 August 2021). "Iran-backed armed attackers suspected of seizing tanker off UAE coast". Sky News. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  11. ^ MIlls, Jon (4 August 2021). "WARNING 00 1 / AUG /2021 Update 002" (PDF). United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. Portsmouth: Maritime Trade Information Centre. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  12. ^ "الجزيرة مباشر الآن @ajmurgent". Twitter (in Arabic). Al Jazeera. 3 August 2021. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  13. ^ "Hijackers have left vessel off UAE coast, says British navy group". euronews. 4 August 2021. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  14. ^ Barrington, Lisa; Saul, Jonathan (3 August 2021). "Iran-backed forces seize tanker, maritime sources say; Iran denies it". Reuters. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  15. ^ Ghantous, Ghaida (4 August 2021). Williams, Alison (ed.). "Oman confirms Asphalt Princess tanker had been hijacked in Arabian Sea". Reuters. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
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