Five tankers and a tugboat caught fire yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz. According to reports released by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iranian Army, these incidents occurred following attacks on tankers that were passing without permission.
Details of the Fires
According to the information provided, one of the large tankers was passing through an illegal route in the southern Strait of Hormuz when it collided with a sea mine and caught fire. The Revolutionary Guard has stated that this tanker stopped after hitting the mine. Additionally, another tanker was halted while exiting the eastern Strait of Hormuz due to severe fires caused by these collisions.
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A tugboat that approached the incident site to extinguish the fire also caught fire itself. The Iranian Army has reported that three other tankers in the area also collided with sea mines and caught fire.
Impact on Maritime Traffic
Since the onset of the war in Iran in late February, maritime traffic in this strategic waterway, which typically carries about one-fifth of global oil consumption, has been severely restricted. These restrictions and recent incidents could have significant impacts on the global oil market and also increase concerns about maritime security in the region.
In response to these incidents, the United States Navy has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports and is assisting tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, maritime reports from British regulatory bodies indicate that a tanker collided with "two unidentified missiles" about 50 nautical miles (90 kilometers) off the northern coast of Qatar.
This area is located about 500 kilometers west of the Strait of Hormuz and in the center of the Persian Gulf. It has also been reported that the electronic warfare unit of the Revolutionary Guard has gained control of two LUCAS drones, which are a model developed by the United States.
Last month, the U.S. military announced that it had assisted Gulf countries in exporting 1.5 billion barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz since last summer.
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