Two oil tankers have struck sea mines in waters south of the Strait of Hormuz after sailing into an area Iran considers off-limits, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said, in an incident that left both vessels disabled and their crews forced to abandon ship.
The Guards’ naval wing said on Friday that the two tankers were passing through the southern section of the strait along what it described as an “unauthorised route” when they were hit. Explosions followed by heavy fire in the engine rooms crippled both ships, which were left stranded at sea before their crews gave them up near the southern coastline, according to the statement.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA, which carried the Guards’ account, reported that the two tankers were collectively carrying more than 4.5 million barrels of crude oil at the time of the incident.
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and ranks among the most important maritime passages in the world for the movement of oil, carrying a large share of the crude that reaches global markets.
Iran has repeatedly warned shipping against using routes it deems unauthorised, amid continuing tensions with the United States over maritime security and control of the waterway.
The incident piles fresh pressure on crude flows through the Gulf at a time when energy markets are already on edge over the security of the strait.
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