The Gulf of Oman incident resulted in damage to 4 commercial ships near the port of Fujairah in the Gulf of Oman on May 12, 2019.[1] The foreign affairs ministry of the United Arab Emirates reported that the ships were subject to a "sabotage attack" but did not elaborate on who was responsible or how the sabotage took place.[2]
| Gulf of Oman incident | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
| Unknown |
 UAE Saudi Arabia Norway[1] | ||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
| 4 commercial ships damaged.[1] | |||||
Incident
The UAE’s Foreign Ministry said that the ships ships were near the country’s territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, east of the port of Fujairah when the damage occurred at about 06:00 that morning[1] and that no casualties had occurred as well as “no spillage of harmful chemicals or fuel.” They reiterated that the incident would be investigated “in cooperation with local and international bodies.”[2]
Saudi Arabian Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources and chairman of Saudi Aramco, Khalid al-Falih, stated two of the damaged ships were Saudi owned oil tankers. "One of the two vessels was on its way to be loaded with Saudi crude oil from the port of Ras Tanura, to be delivered to Saudi Aramco's customers in the United States," he added.[1]
Thome Ship Management, the firm who own the Norwegian ship reported that their ship had been "struck by an unknown object on the waterline" while anchored off Fujairah.[1]
Consequences
As a result of the incident the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) issued an alert to all ships off the coast of the United Arab Emirate due to "acts of sabotage"[3] and suggested caution be exercised for "at least the next week.[4]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Oil tankers 'sabotaged' amid tensions". May 13, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ a b Gambrell, Jon (May 12, 2019). "UAE says 4 ships targeted by 'sabotage' off its east coast". AP NEWS. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ "The Latest: Norwegian tanker's hull punctured off UAE coast". AP NEWS. May 13, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ O'Connor, Tom (May 13, 2019). "U.S. and Iran respond to attack that raises fears of conflict near the world's top oil route". Newsweek. Retrieved May 14, 2019.