Gulf of Oman tankers hit in suspected attack: Live updates - CNN

Thursday's suspected attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman come a month after four commercial ships were hit in the same waterway, heightening tensions in a region already on edge.

But these reported attacks appear to be even more aggressive. Here's the difference between the two incidents.

May 12 incident

In the incident on May 12, four ships were at anchor in the UAE port of Fujairah, a few kilometers from the coast, when they were apparently hit by mines or improvised explosive devices likely attached to their hulls overnight. The attacks caused no injuries and no evacuation. They were, essentially, pin-prick strikes, a subtle message.

The US and Saudi Arabia suspect Iran was behind those attacks -- though no evidence of its involvement has been presented. Tehran denied any involvement, and precisely who carried out the attack is still under investigation.

Today's incident

The two tankers involved in today's suspected attacks were some 70 kilometers from the UAE, closer to the Iranian coast.

One of them was hit above the water line by what witnesses described as “some sort of shell," according to an official from the firm that owns the boat. The other ship caught on fire following an explosion. The crews of both boats were evacuated.

There has been no assigning of blame thus far today, but the volume has been turned up.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/gulf-of-oman-incident-latest-intl/index.html

2019-06-13 12:42:00Z
52780313015771

Gulf of Oman tankers hit in suspected attack: Live updates - CNN

Thursday's suspected attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman come a month after four commercial ships were hit in the same waterway, heightening tensions in a region already on edge.

But these reported attacks appear to be even more aggressive. Here's the difference between the two incidents.

May 12 incident

In the incident on May 12, four ships were at anchor in the UAE port of Fujairah, a few kilometers from the coast, when they were apparently hit by mines or improvised explosive devices likely attached to their hulls overnight. The attacks caused no injuries and no evacuation. They were, essentially, pin-prick strikes, a subtle message.

The US and Saudi Arabia suspect Iran was behind those attacks -- though no evidence of its involvement has been presented. Tehran denied any involvement, and precisely who carried out the attack is still under investigation.

Today's incident

The two tankers involved in today's suspected attacks were some 70 kilometers from the UAE, closer to the Iranian coast.

One of them was hit above the water line by what witnesses described as “some sort of shell," according to an official from the firm that owns the boat. The other ship caught on fire following an explosion. The crews of both boats were evacuated.

There has been no assigning of blame thus far today, but the volume has been turned up.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/gulf-of-oman-incident-latest-intl/index.html

2019-06-13 12:22:00Z
52780313915074

Gulf of Oman tanker incident: Live updates - CNN

Thursday's suspected attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman come a month after four commercial ships were hit in the same waterway, heightening tensions in a region already on edge.

But these reported attacks appear to be even more aggressive. Here's the difference between the two incidents.

May 12 incident

In the incident on May 12, four ships were at anchor in the UAE port of Fujairah, a few kilometers from the coast, when they were apparently hit by mines or improvised explosive devices likely attached to their hulls overnight. The attacks caused no injuries and no evacuation. They were, essentially, pin-prick strikes, a subtle message.

The US and Saudi Arabia suspect Iran was behind those attacks -- though no evidence of its involvement has been presented. Tehran denied any involvement, and precisely who carried out the attack is still under investigation.

Today's incident

The two tankers involved in today's suspected attacks were some 70 kilometers from the UAE, closer to the Iranian coast.

One of them was hit above the water line by what witnesses described as “some sort of shell," according to an official from the firm that owns the boat. The other ship caught on fire following an explosion. The crews of both boats were evacuated.

There has been no assigning of blame thus far today, but the volume has been turned up.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/gulf-of-oman-incident-latest-intl/index.html

2019-06-13 11:56:00Z
52780313915074

Tanker incident in Gulf of Oman: Live updates - CNN

The Kokuka Courageous, one of two ships involved in the security incident in the Gulf of Oman, was "attacked" twice with "some sort of shell," an official from the Japanese owner of the ship told CNN.

The first shot hit the tanker above sea level and the vessel caught fire briefly before the blaze was extinguished, according to Michio Yuube, the co-manager of the Japanese firm Kokuka Sangyo.

All 21 Philippine crew members on board the tanker were evacuated in life boats after the second shot and rescued by another ship now heading towards the UAE.  

Yuube said that the attack happened off Fujaira, and that the Kokuka Courageous is now drifting with a shipment of chemical products onboard. 

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/gulf-of-oman-incident-latest-intl/index.html

2019-06-13 11:38:00Z
52780313015771

Oil prices surge after tanker attack near the Iranian coast - CNN

The Japanese owner of the Kokuka Courageous told CNN the 27,000-ton tanker had been attacked "by some sort of shell" off Fujairah, a port in the United Arab Emirates. The ship suffered damage to its starboard hull.

The ship's operator, Singapore-based BSM Ship Management, said in a statement that the Kokuka Courageous was about 14 nautical miles from the coast of Iran.

A second tanker, the Front Altair, suffered a fire following an explosion while sailing in the Gulf of Oman, vessel manager Frontline said. The company was unable to provide more details.

United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations, which monitors security in the region, said that it was aware of an incident, and that Britain and its partners were investigating.

An advisory from the agency indicated the incident had occurred near the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic choke point through which roughly 30% of the world's sea-borne crude oil passes.

The Strait of Hormuz links the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, separating Oman from its eastern neighbor, Iran. Deep enough to handle the biggest tankers, the strait is only 21 miles wide at its narrowest point.

The US Energy Information Administration describes it as the "world's most important choke point," with roughly 80% of the crude it handles destined for markets in Asia.

Second incident in two months

The attacks come amid rising tensions in the region, where the United States and its Arab allies including Saudi Arabia are increasingly at loggerheads with Iran.

In May, four ships were targeted near Fujairah in what the United Arab Emirates described as a "sabotage attack."

The initial findings of an international investigation into the attacks concluded that a "state actor" was the most likely culprit. Iran has denounced the attack and denied involvement.

Oil swings

US crude futures had been trading near their lowest levels in five months. But they rebounded as traders reacted to reports of the attacks, gaining 3% to trade at $52.70 a barrel by 6:10 a.m. ET.

The price for Brent crude, the global benchmark, surged 3.5% to $62.04 a barrel.

Crude oil prices have drifted lower in recent months as a huge surge in American production more than offset the effect of US sanctions on oil producers Venezuela and Iran, and OPEC supply curbs.

The cartel's oil production tumbled to 29.9 million barrels per day in May, the lowest level in more than five years, according to a recent report by energy research firm Rystad Energy.

Khalid al-Falih, Saudi Arabia's energy minister, said last week that OPEC and Russia are close to a deal to extend production cuts they implemented at the start of the year. Those cuts are due to expire at the end of June.

Vasco Cotovio and Matt Egan contributed reporting.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/13/investing/oil-prices-attack-strait-of-hormuz/index.html

2019-06-13 11:07:00Z
52780313015771

Tanker incident in Gulf of Oman: Live updates - CNN

The Kokuka Courageous, one of two ships involved in the security incident in the Gulf of Oman, was "attacked" twice with "some sort of shell," an official from the Japanese owner of the ship told CNN.

The first shot hit the tanker above sea level and the vessel caught fire briefly before the blaze was extinguished, according to Michio Yuube, the co-manager of the Japanese firm Kokuka Sangyo.

All 21 Philippine crew members on board the tanker were evacuated in life boats after the second shot and rescued by another ship now heading towards the UAE.  

Yuube said that the attack happened off Fujaira, and that the Kokuka Courageous is now drifting with a shipment of chemical products onboard. 

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/gulf-of-oman-incident-latest-intl/index.html

2019-06-13 10:53:00Z
52780313880410

Tanker incident in Gulf of Oman: Live updates - CNN

All 21 crew members on the Panamanian ship Kokuka Courageous, one of two ships reportedly hit in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, abandoned their vessel, the Singapore-based Bernard Schulte Shipping Management (BSM) company said in a statement.

One of the sailors on board was injured in the incident, BSM added.

The second ship involved in the incident is the "Front Altair," which was on fire on Thursday morning.

The incident is being investigated by the United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations (UKMTO), a maritime security sharing conduit managed by Britain's Royal Navy.

Here's the full statement:

BSM Ship Management (Singapore) has launched a full-scale emergency response following a security incident on board our managed products carrier the Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman earlier today (June 13, 2019).
The 21 crew of the vessel abandoned ship after the incident on board which resulted in damage to the ship’s hull starboard side.
The master and crew abandoned ship and were quickly rescued from a lifeboat by the nearby vessel Coastal Ace.
One crew man from the Kokuka Courageous was slightly injured in the incident and is receiving first aid on board the Coastal Ace.
The Kokuka Courageous remains in the area and is not in any danger of sinking. The cargo of methanol is intact.
BSM’s top priority is the wellbeing of the 21 crew on board our managed vessel. The Coastal Ace is in the vicinity at a safe distance from the Kokuka Courageous.
The vessel is about 70 nautical miles from Fujairah and about 14 nautical miles from the coast of Iran.
The Coastal Ace is now awaiting instructions from the UK Marine Trade Operations which is responding to the incident.
BSM Ship Management is monitoring the situation in the Gulf of Oman closely and will issue another statement when we have factual information.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/gulf-of-oman-incident-latest-intl/index.html

2019-06-13 09:52:00Z
52780313015771