(The Turkish Post) – A supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude oil caught fire after striking a sea mine in the Strait of Hormuz on Oct. 17, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said, and the force later reported that a second supertanker had hit a mine in the same waterway.
The IRGC did not name either vessel or give their flags, owners or the condition of their crews. Its account could not be independently verified, and the U.S. military, which says it has cleared the strait’s main shipping lanes of mines, did not comment on the claims in the first hours after they were made.
IRGC says supertanker hit a sea mine on an unauthorized route
The IRGC navy said the first tanker struck a mine while trying to pass through an unauthorized route, setting off a “massive explosion” and a “fierce fire.” It said the ship had switched off its positioning and radar systems to avoid detection.
The statement did not say where in the strait the incident took place. Iranian state media broadcast footage that they said showed the vessel ablaze.
The IRGC also accused the U.S. military of guiding the ship into the attempted passage. In the same statement, the force said the Strait of Hormuz “is closed” and warned vessels against breaking the rules Iran has set for passage.
Second supertanker reported hit in the Strait of Hormuz
Later on Oct. 17, the IRGC navy said a second supertanker, also loaded with more than 2 million barrels of crude, had struck a sea mine after it too switched off its tracking and radar systems. The force said the blast hit the ship’s engine room and left it unable to move.
As with the first supertanker, the IRGC gave no name, crew numbers, casualty figures or information on possible oil spills. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a British navy center that tracks security incidents at sea, did not initially comment on either report.
UKMTO separately reported an attack on a tanker off the Saudi port of Jubail, in the Gulf, and said the crew were safe.
CENTCOM rejects Iran’s claim of control
CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said on Oct. 16 that U.S. forces were working with regional partners to protect commercial shipping. “Let me be clear: The Strait of Hormuz is controlled by the United States and our regional partners, not Iran,” he said, adding that the strait “remains open for business.”
CENTCOM has said that the main routes through the strait are clear of mines and that ships are being hit by projectiles. Earlier in the week, it rejected an IRGC statement that the container ship GFS Pride had struck a mine. CENTCOM called that account false, said the ship had been hit by an IRGC projectile and said it sank while under tow toward shore.
UKMTO has reported a series of attacks on merchant ships in and around the strait since early October. Six commercial vessels, five of them tankers, were reported struck on Oct. 11 alone.
Oil prices near $110 before the weekend
Brent crude, the international benchmark, settled near $110 a barrel on Oct. 16, its highest close since May, as traders weighed attacks on shipping in the Gulf and the risk of a wider conflict. Oil markets were closed on Oct. 17, a Saturday, when the mine reports emerged.
Finance ministers of the Group of 20 met in Bangkok this week with the Iran war keeping oil above $100 a barrel for much of October.
A waterway at the center of the Iran war
The Strait of Hormuz, between Iran and Oman, normally carries about a fifth of the world’s oil consumption, along with large volumes of liquefied natural gas from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The war began on Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. Tehran then largely halted traffic through the strait with threats and attacks on ships, and it has been accused of laying mines there. Iran says vessels must use routes it has authorized, a demand the United States and its Gulf allies reject.
Washington responded with a naval blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas aimed at cutting Tehran’s oil export revenue. U.S. forces have since boarded and disabled several vessels that tried to break the blockade, according to CENTCOM.
Saudi Arabia, the largest oil exporter in the Gulf, has also faced Houthi missile and drone attacks as the war in Yemen has escalated, including a deadly missile strike on Riyadh airport earlier in October.
Neither supertanker had been publicly identified by late Oct. 17.
