A search-and-rescue operation is ongoing for two missing crew members after an attack on the Panama-flagged oil tanker El Gaia. According to Oman’s Maritime Security Centre, 23 other sailors were successfully rescued, and the vessel is currently being towed to an Omani port following an engine room fire.
The incident occurred approximately 1.3 nautical miles north of the Musandam peninsula. Reports regarding the cause of the damage remain contested. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed the vessel struck naval mines while navigating an unsafe route. Conversely, the U.S. military rejected the Iranian account, asserting that the tanker was hit by a drone over the weekend, following a separate missile strike last month. The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre confirmed receiving reports of a vessel struck by an unknown projectile early Sunday morning.
This event follows a series of maritime escalations in the region. Earlier this month, a Saudi-owned tanker, the Sidr, was involved in a similar incident that resulted in the deaths of two Filipino sailors. While Iranian officials attributed that fire to naval mines, Saudi authorities and maritime security firms indicated the ship was targeted by projectiles.
Tensions have further intensified with reports from Iran’s Fars news agency regarding “enemy drones” targeting fishing boats near the port of Kargan, leading to additional missing persons. Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command confirmed that its forces destroyed two Iranian boats that attempted to seize an unmanned surface vessel.
The Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global energy shipments, remains effectively closed due to ongoing hostilities, including drone and missile attacks on commercial shipping and a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports. A preliminary agreement to reopen the waterway reached in June collapsed shortly after it was established.
Source: BBC News
មិនទាន់មានមតិយោបល់នៅឡើយទេ។ សូមធ្វើជាអ្នកដំបូងដែលចែករំលែកគំនិតរបស់អ្នក។