The tanker El Gaia sits off Oman with smoke and flames visible near the stern following an onboard fire. Photo: Oman Maritime Security Center
Omani authorities said Tuesday that the Panama-flagged tanker El Gaia is being towed to port after a fire aboard the vessel was brought under control, while two crew members remain missing.
Oman’s Maritime Security Center said the tanker was about 103 nautical miles northeast of Musandam Governorate. A Royal Navy of Oman vessel evacuated 23 crew members and provided medical care. Search operations are continuing for two missing crew.
The update adds to conflicting accounts over what happened to the tanker. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said El Gaia struck a naval mine while attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Central Command rejected that claim, saying the tanker had instead been attacked by Iran twice — first by a missile last month, which left the ship inoperable, and again by a drone over the weekend while it was sitting off Oman.
“The IRGC’s false claim is yet another example of their lies and intimidation attempts while they try to impede commercial vessels in the strait,” CENTCOM said.
Oman did not assign responsibility, saying only that the engine-room fire followed an earlier attack and had since been extinguished.
UK Maritime Trade Operations said Monday that a vessel was struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait on September 14. No damage or environmental impact was reported.
The Joint Maritime Information Center continues to rate the threat to commercial shipping in the Strait as severe, warning that deliberate hostile action remains highly likely.
The attacks have continued despite U.S. claims that Iranian mines have been cleared from the Strait’s internationally recognized shipping lanes.
CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in August that U.S. forces had spent months clearing mines from the Traffic Separation Scheme. Maritime authorities, however, have continued to warn of possible drifting or uncharted mines and have stopped short of declaring the wider Strait mine-free.
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