Tanker reports explosions while transiting Strait of Hormuz, crew safe

DUBAI: A tanker reported hearing two explosions while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Thursday, in the latest security incident affecting one of the world’s busiest oil shipping routes.

UKMTO said the explosions were reported about nine nautical miles (around 16 kilometers) southeast of Kumzar, Oman, near the entrance to the strategic waterway linking the Gulf with global markets.

“The Master of a tanker has reported hearing two explosions whilst transiting in the Strait of Hormuz,” the British maritime agency said in an advisory.

It said the vessel and its crew were safe and that no environmental damage had been reported.

The agency gave no details on the source of the explosions.

The incident comes as Iran and Oman are holding talks on jointly managing navigation through the strait, where Tehran has exercised de facto control since the regional conflict erupted on Feb. 28.

Since then, the waterway has seen repeated security incidents, with Iranian forces firing on or intercepting vessels they said had failed to follow authorized transit routes, heightening concerns over the safety of commercial shipping through the chokepoint, which carries a significant share of the world’s seaborne crude exports.

The latest report also comes as environmental groups warn that the prolonged insecurity affecting Gulf shipping is increasing the risk of ecological damage.

Off Oman’s southern coast, an alleged Russian “shadow fleet” tanker remains stranded and leaking oil after being rocked by explosions of unclear origin, according to maritime security sources and environmental organizations.

Satellite imagery reviewed by Greenpeace indicates the resulting oil sheen has spread dramatically in recent weeks, raising fears of a major environmental disaster near a protected marine area. Analysts say aging vessels operating in Russia’s opaque sanctions-evading fleet present heightened spill risks, while the continuing instability around regional shipping lanes has complicated maritime safety and response efforts.

Although the leaking tanker lies well south of the Strait of Hormuz, environmental advocates say the incident illustrates the broader consequences of months of disruption to maritime traffic across the region, where commercial shipping now faces both security threats and mounting environmental hazards.

• With AFP and Reuters