In the latest incident highlighting the dangers facing ships in the Gulf, a mine was discovered on the shell of an oil tanker off the coast of Iraq.
An oil tanker off the coast of Iraq has discovered a mine attached to its shell, the latest incident revealing a danger to ships in the waters off the Arabian peninsula.
The vessel detected the engine while transferring oil to another vessel on Thursday afternoon, according to a report from the Iraqi government. The Ministry of Interior then set up an explosives handling team which was delivered to the affected tanker.
“Despite the height and intensity of the wave propulsion, she was able to empty the other vessel and hold the ship showing a large attached sea mine,” according to the statement. The crew was still working to to close the mine and the vessel on which it was emptying early on Friday.
The ship with the mine was identified as a Polish with a Liberian flag. A suspicious object was found on the hull of the vessel, according to a statement from owner Dynacom Tankers Management, who said all crew members are safe. It was not immediately clear who put the machine on the tanker.
The Gulf of Persia and the Red Sea have been extremely hot for attacks on ships in recent years, with tensions running between Saudi Arabia and Iran. In December, an explosion described by Saudi officials as a “terrorist” attack on a ship in the Red Sea port of Jeddah. That incident happened just weeks after an oil tanker was damaged in a possible attack in the same body of water.
At the same time, there is a greater focus on security in the region – especially with Iran, which is controlled by U.S. sanctions – as President Joe Biden prepares for success with Donald Trump later on. months. Almost just a year ago, Trump ordered a drone strike in Iraq that killed one of the most powerful generals in Iran.
The Pola, a Suezmax-class vessel, has been anchored near Iraq since November. 7 and is likely to be used as floating storage for oil, vessel detection data compiled by the Bloomberg exhibition. At the time the mine was discovered, the tanker was apparently transferring goods to the Viking Liberty, owned by Nordic American Tankers Ltd.
The vessels were located in a waiting area for vessels in international waters, about 28 nautical miles from Iraqi ports, according to a government statement. The ship with the mine – which was not identified by name – was leased from the Iraqi state oil marketing company, known as SOMO, he said.
The UK Maritime Trading Operations, which is a link between the Royal Navy and merchant vessels operating in high risk areas, first identified the incident, also without naming the vessel or specifying the vessel. was attached to the back.
(Updates throughout with information from Iraqi government statement.)
– Supported by Julian Lee.