Vessel Catches Fire Near the Strait of Hormuz off Oman Amid US-Iran War Escalation: Report
A vessel reportedly caught fire on Monday near the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz as tensions escalate between the U.S. and Iran following missile strikes.
UKMTO Reports Vessel Fire Incident
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) reported an incident that took place over 9 miles northwest of Kumzar, Oman, as a vessel caught on fire. The incident information was relayed to the organization by military authorities.
“The cause of the fire has not been verified at this time,” the report said, urging vessels traversing through the area to “transit with caution.”
Oil Surges Amid Tensions
Oil prices in the global markets surged amid uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz and missile strikes exchanged between the U.S. and Iran. At the time of writing this article, the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up over 2% to $84.28/bbl.
Meanwhile, Brent crude also surged nearly 2.5% at press time. It is trading for $90.26/bbl, casting fresh doubts over the cost of gas, diesel, shipping and more. On the other hand, Shipfinder data says that 13 vessels moved through the area on Sunday, while VesselFinder’s live tracking shows fewer than 10 tankers in the area at the time of writing this article.
US-Iran War
President Donald Trump earlier said that three U.S. service members had been killed following Iranian missile strikes. Meanwhile, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced a new round of strikes, saying that the latest one constituted nine consecutive days of strikes on Iranian targets at Trump’s direction.
Iran had earlier said that U.S. strikes had resulted in the deaths of at least 35 civilians, according to a report by Al Jazeera last week, citing reports and data from the Iranian Health Ministry.
Meanwhile, former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) had earlier slammed Trump’s comments about alleged foreign interference in the 2020 Presidential Election from China, criticizing those who were pushing fraud allegations. She also alleged foreign influence from Israel and its donors.
Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock