Two oil tankers collide, catch fire near Strait of Hormuz
DUBAI/COPENHAGEN: Two oil tankers collided and caught fire on Tuesday (Jun 17) near the Strait of Hormuz, where electronic interference has surged during conflict between Iran and Israel, but there were no injuries to crew or spillage reported.
With Iran and Israel firing missiles at each other since Friday, interference has disrupted navigation systems near the vital waterway between Iran and Oman which handles about a fifth of the world's seaborne oil.
The United Arab Emirates coast guard said it had evacuated 24 people from one of the ships, Adalynn, to the port of Khor Fakkan after the crash 24 nautical miles off its eastern coast.
Personnel on the second tanker, the Front Eagle, were reported safe with no pollution seen after a fire on its deck, according to its owner, the Oslo-listed company Frontline.
Frontline later told Reuters the incident would be investigated, but there was no suggestion of outside interference.
The Front Eagle was loaded with 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude oil and was en route to Zhoushan in China, according to monitoring service TankerTrackers.com.
The Adalynn, a Suezmax-class tanker owned by India-based Global Shipping Holding Ltd, had no cargo and was sailing towards the Suez Canal in Egypt, the monitoring service said.
TankerTrackers.com said on X that the Front Eagle was moving southbound at a speed of 13.1 knots when it "executed a starboard (right) turn, resulting in a collision with the port quarter (aft port side)" of the Adalynn, which was proceeding southeast at 4.8 knots.
STRATEGIC STRAIT
The Strait of Hormuz links the Gulf to the northwest with the Gulf of Oman to the southeast and the Arabian Sea beyond.
Between the start of 2022 and last month, roughly 17.8 million to 20.8 million barrels of crude, condensate and fuels flowed through daily, according to data from Vortexa.
The multinational, US-led Combined Maritime Force's JMIC information centre said in an advisory this week that it had received reports of electronic interference stemming from the vicinity of the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, on the north shore of the strait, and other areas in the Gulf region.
Iran has in the past threatened to close the strait to traffic in retaliation for Western pressure.
Tehran has not commented on Tuesday's collision or reports of electronic interference. There was no immediate response to a Reuters request for comment from the Emirati foreign ministry or Khor Fakkan container terminal on Tuesday.
Dozens of tankers have dropped anchor in major port hubs in the Gulf close to the Strait of Hormuz around Fujairah and Khor Fakkan and Sharjah on the Emirati side, ship tracking data on MarineTraffic showed on Tuesday.
Some shipping companies have decided to pause their voyages due to the heightened tensions, while others were awaiting charter hires due to uncertainty, shipping sources said.
While war risk insurance costs for ships heading to Israeli ports have soared in recent days, the costs so far remain stable for voyages through the Gulf, insurance industry sources said on Tuesday.
"Rates, for the time being, remain stable with no noticeable increases since the latest hostilities between Israel and Iran. This position could change dramatically depending on any further escalation or general conflagration in the area," David Smith, head of marine with insurance broker McGill and Partners, told Reuters.
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CNA
5 hours ago
- CNA
Two oil tankers collide, catch fire near Strait of Hormuz
DUBAI/COPENHAGEN: Two oil tankers collided and caught fire on Tuesday (Jun 17) near the Strait of Hormuz, where electronic interference has surged during conflict between Iran and Israel, but there were no injuries to crew or spillage reported. With Iran and Israel firing missiles at each other since Friday, interference has disrupted navigation systems near the vital waterway between Iran and Oman which handles about a fifth of the world's seaborne oil. The United Arab Emirates coast guard said it had evacuated 24 people from one of the ships, Adalynn, to the port of Khor Fakkan after the crash 24 nautical miles off its eastern coast. Personnel on the second tanker, the Front Eagle, were reported safe with no pollution seen after a fire on its deck, according to its owner, the Oslo-listed company Frontline. Frontline later told Reuters the incident would be investigated, but there was no suggestion of outside interference. The Front Eagle was loaded with 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude oil and was en route to Zhoushan in China, according to monitoring service The Adalynn, a Suezmax-class tanker owned by India-based Global Shipping Holding Ltd, had no cargo and was sailing towards the Suez Canal in Egypt, the monitoring service said. said on X that the Front Eagle was moving southbound at a speed of 13.1 knots when it "executed a starboard (right) turn, resulting in a collision with the port quarter (aft port side)" of the Adalynn, which was proceeding southeast at 4.8 knots. STRATEGIC STRAIT The Strait of Hormuz links the Gulf to the northwest with the Gulf of Oman to the southeast and the Arabian Sea beyond. Between the start of 2022 and last month, roughly 17.8 million to 20.8 million barrels of crude, condensate and fuels flowed through daily, according to data from Vortexa. The multinational, US-led Combined Maritime Force's JMIC information centre said in an advisory this week that it had received reports of electronic interference stemming from the vicinity of the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, on the north shore of the strait, and other areas in the Gulf region. Iran has in the past threatened to close the strait to traffic in retaliation for Western pressure. Tehran has not commented on Tuesday's collision or reports of electronic interference. There was no immediate response to a Reuters request for comment from the Emirati foreign ministry or Khor Fakkan container terminal on Tuesday. Dozens of tankers have dropped anchor in major port hubs in the Gulf close to the Strait of Hormuz around Fujairah and Khor Fakkan and Sharjah on the Emirati side, ship tracking data on MarineTraffic showed on Tuesday. Some shipping companies have decided to pause their voyages due to the heightened tensions, while others were awaiting charter hires due to uncertainty, shipping sources said. While war risk insurance costs for ships heading to Israeli ports have soared in recent days, the costs so far remain stable for voyages through the Gulf, insurance industry sources said on Tuesday. "Rates, for the time being, remain stable with no noticeable increases since the latest hostilities between Israel and Iran. This position could change dramatically depending on any further escalation or general conflagration in the area," David Smith, head of marine with insurance broker McGill and Partners, told Reuters.
Straits Times
14 hours ago
- Straits Times
UAE evacuates 24 from oil tanker after collision near Strait of Hormuz
UAE evacuates 24 from oil tanker after collision near Strait of Hormuz – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Coast Guard said on June 17 that it had evacuated 24 people from oil tanker Adalynn following a collision between two ships in the Gulf of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz. British maritime security firm Ambrey earlier reported an incident 22 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan in the UAE and said the cause of the incident was not security-related. Shipping sources told Reuters that a vessel had collided with two other ships. The maritime incident unfolded as Iran and Israel exchanged attacks for a fifth day following Israel's launch of wide-scale strikes on June 13 , which Israel said were aimed at preventing Tehran from building an atomic weapon. Naval sources have told Reuters that electronic interference with commercial ship navigation systems has surged in recent days around the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Gulf, which is having an impact on vessels sailing through the region. The Strait of Hormuz lies between Oman and Iran and links the Gulf north of it with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond. About a fifth of the world's total oil consumption passes through the strait. Between the start of 2022 and May, roughly 17.8 million to 20.8 million barrels of crude, condensate and fuels flowed through the strait daily, according to data from Vortexa. The UAE National Guard said in a post on social media platform X that 24 crew members were taken to Khor Fakkan Port in the UAE using search and rescue boats. There was no immediate response to a Reuters request for comment from the Emirati Foreign Ministry or Khor Fakkan container terminal early on June 17 . REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Straits Times
Iranians describe Israel's attacks in voice memos and calls
A damaged residence compound in the Iranian capital of Tehran after Israeli strikes on June 13. PHOTO: ARASH KHAMOOSHI/NYTIMES TEHRAN/TEL AVIV - Iranians have not experienced anything like this in almost 40 years. More than 200 Israeli warplanes dropped hundreds of bombs across Iran early on June 13, rocking cities with explosions and jolting people out of their beds. They looked out windows onto columns of smoke, ran onto rooftops for a better view, and made phone calls to their loved ones. In the aftermath of the attack, some also spoke to The New York Times, sending voice notes amid flickering internet service and offering a glimpse of people's experiences in a country where many don't feel comfortable speaking to international news outlets. They described confusion, fear and anger against Israel, whose widespread attacks drew comparisons to the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. 'We were not ready' Shakiba, a 37-year-old occupational therapist based in Tehran, was comfortable using only her first name because of the heightened security situation in the country. She had been getting ready for bed at home with her two cats when the bombing began. She looked outside and saw neighbors gathering on balconies and roofs, everyone trying to see what was happening. She added: 'The first sound was really shocking, because we were not ready, we were not expecting it. And it wasn't just one sound – we heard a couple of sounds at the first. And I know all the people around the country and around the city were following the news, but we were not expecting it to happen.' She later called two of her patients, an elderly couple who live alone, their children out of the country like many other Iranian families. They were near an area that came under attack, but their health conditions prevented them from leaving their home. 'The woman just cried by the phone, and she said that 'I was really afraid because we can't move',' Ms Shakiba recalled. She tried to reassure them, stuck in their home. She also called another patient, a man with a neurological condition. He told her, 'I'm OK now, but the sounds were so loud and so terrifying and I just felt that I am near to heart attack,' Ms Shakiba said. Describing the bombardment, she said that people like her patients – children with special needs, the elderly, frail and ill – had few resources to help them. 'They are in shock,' she said. Nor did she feel confident about her own plans. 'I have two cats and they're both heavy,' she said. 'It sounds silly with everything going on, but I keep thinking about how I can evacuate with them if the need comes.' 'Scenes of blood and flash and burned feet' Ms Jila Baniyaghoob, a journalist and women's rights activist in Tehran, said that there had been a large focus on Israel's military targets, but that civilians had been harmed in the attacks as well. She had a close friend at an apartment complex in the Saadat Abad district of Tehran, where residents include many faculty members from Tehran's various universities, and which was struck during the attack early Friday. A major fire spread after the attack, according to Ms Baniyaghoob and photos of the scene. Ms Baniyaghoob said that she had heard most of the people killed in the strike were not members of the military or involved in Iran's nuclear programme. The exact toll of the attacks remained unclear late on June 13, although Iran's Fars news agency, citing unofficial figures, said that dozens had been killed and more than 300 others injured. Ms Baniyaghoob said that her friend's family had grabbed their young children and raced down stairwells to escape the complex. They passed 'really awful scenes of blood and flesh and burned feet', she said. 'Most of the people who lived near the strike sites are feeling a collective fear, especially their children.' 'The people are paying the price' Mr Bahman Ahmadi Amouee, an economic journalist, said he, along with many others, had been feeling optimistic before the attacks, noting that Iran was engaged in diplomatic talks with the United States and that there were hopeful economic signs within Iran. But he believes the West and Israel took advantage of the circumstances, calling Israel's leadership extremist and far right. 'We're seeing the same policy in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria – policies that contradict with what the West says it values, like democracy and human rights.' Mr Ahmadi Amouee has written for newspapers that call for change within Iran and spent five years in Evin prison in 2009 amid a government crackdown on journalists. In the conflict with Israel, 'the people are paying the price', he said. 'Once the stores open on (June 15), the prices will have undoubtedly gone up. There's long lines of gas everywhere, people are nervous.' He added: 'Whenever there's war, or earthquake, or famine, people start feeling unstable, and the most vulnerable people in these situations are usually women, children and impoverished people. 'As soon as the markets open after the two day holiday, we'll see the price of dollar going up, and the instability and lack of security will only multiply.' Bracing for retaliation in Tel Aviv The morning before the strikes from Iran on June 13, the streets of Tel Aviv were calm, even as the country's leaders warned the public to brace themselves for retaliation. The military closed schools nationwide and banned public gatherings, cancelling the annual Tel Aviv Pride parade, which normally attracts tens of thousands of revellers to the city. 'We've already been in this scenario twice,' said 31-year-old Uri, sitting on a bench outside a supermarket, questioning whether to open his restaurant or have to throw out the day's food. 'I don't really care, honestly. I'll just go to a shelter and I'll be okay,' he said. Iran fired hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel in two attacks in 2024 in response to Israeli strikes, rattling the Israeli public but causing only modest damage. This time, the Israeli public has been told to be prepared to spend long hours in bomb shelters. 'Iran? That's the first place we need to attack if you ask me,' said Aviv, 38, adding he hoped the strikes would lead to the release of 53 mostly Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Shoppers stocked up on food and bottled water, prompting long queues at checkouts. 'My fridge is empty,' said 41-year-old Noah as she made her way to a supermarket. The mother of two said she was due to celebrate their wedding anniversary with her husband at a hotel. Ms Noah said she was worried about the severity of any potential retaliatory strike, adding that people were asking whether the bomb shelters in their apartment buildings would be strong enough to withstand it, or if it might be safer to seek refuge underground. 'The way the government is handling things is horrible,' Ms Noah said, adding that she condemned the decision to strike Iran, fearing that it will put the country in further danger. 'Because I feel like we have reached the top end of the scale, like this is serious this time. It feels like okay, they have nothing to lose.' In Jerusalem, others expressed support for the decision. 'I am very happy for this. We were waiting for this,' said 66-year-old Oral Liral. 'Am Yisrael Chai. We are strong. We will be here. It's our country,' she said, using a Hebrew expression of perseverance that means 'the people of Israel live'. NYTIMES, REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
