A Norwegian tanker was struck by an explosion caused by an unidentified device in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman in the early hours of Tuesday, with no casualties reported, according to the vessel's operating company.
Crisis management firm MTI Network, citing tanker operator Stolt Tankers, said that at approximately 00:40 local time the vessel Stolt Magnesium, sailing in the Arabian Sea off the Omani coast, was targeted by the detonation of an unidentified external device.
The explosion triggered a fire in the ship's engine room, but an MTI Network spokesperson confirmed the crew was "fortunately safe, unharmed and accounted for," according to Portuguese news agency Lusa.
The United Kingdom's maritime security agency, UK Maritime Trade Operations, separately reported that a tanker had communicated it had been "struck by an unknown projectile in the engine room, on the starboard side," approximately 40 nautical miles northeast of Qalhat, Oman.
Shortly before the Stolt Magnesium incident, the United Arab Emirates had denounced Iranian missile attacks against two other tankers in the Strait of Hormuz during the same night, in which one crew member was killed — an alleged reprisal for a fresh wave of strikes by the United States.
Commercial shipping has been severely disrupted by the Middle East conflict since 1 March, when Iran closed the strait in retaliation for US and Israeli military strikes.
The United States launched attacks against Iran in the early hours of Tuesday for the third consecutive night, marking a sharp escalation in renewed hostilities, even as US President Donald Trump insisted that a deal with Tehran remained "possible."
Earlier, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that the US would take control of the Strait of Hormuz and reinstate a blockade of Iranian ports. The Pentagon confirmed the blockade would come into force at 20:00 GMT — 21:00 Luanda time — on Tuesday.
While Tehran has sought to impose transit fees on vessels passing through the strait, Trump said he intended to levy "a charge equivalent to 20% of the value of cargoes" transiting the waterway — a move that would contravene international law guaranteeing freedom of navigation.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded on the social platform X: "Iran has always been the guardian of the strait and will remain so forever."
After nearly 40 days of bombardment since the outbreak of hostilities on 28 February — triggered by Israeli-American strikes — a ceasefire had been established in April and formalised on 17 June through a memorandum of understanding. That agreement, which envisaged the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, is now increasingly in doubt as military escalation between the United States and Iran intensifies.
Source: ANGOP / Original article: www.angop.ao
