(Bloomberg) – Two tankers were attacked near the mouth of the Persian Gulf, increasing the chances of disruption through the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important shipping chokepoint for oil and gas.
One incident occurred just north of Oman with the second further south, UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre, said. Oman’s Maritime Security agency confirmed the Skylight tanker — a small ship that appears to be sanctioned by the U.S. A second, the MKD Vyom, was struck further south, about 50 miles from the Middle East country’s coast, according to a Norwegian rescue service.
UKMTO, which liaises between the navy and merchant shipping, said that an unidentified vessel was struck by a projectile, reportedly causing a fire that was brought under control. It was subsequently identified by Norway’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre at Stavanger.
MKD Vyom has a transportation capacity of 74,000 deadweight tons.
Together, the two incidents underscore the growing concern about maritime security as the conflict involving the U.S., Israel and Iran spreads through the region and heightens tensions around Hormuz, which handles a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil and a similar portion of liquefied natural gas.
Multiple ships reported on Saturday hearing radio broadcasts purporting to come from the Iranian navy announcing that transit through the waterway was banned. Tehran has threatened American vessels, but has not made a formal announcement around the status of the waterway, or announced its closure.
UKMTO said in a separate update on Sunday that no official closure of Hormuz has been communicated through the official legal channels and that radio communications do not constitute a legally recognized closure.
See also: Oil markets on edge after Trump strike on Iran threatens Hormuz flows
There are two vessels with the name Skylight, but only one appears off the coast of Oman. That ship was sanctioned by the U.S. last year for being an “enabler of Iranian petroleum exports.”
The vessel’s 20-person crew was evacuated and four people were injured, Oman said. It was unclear who targeted the Skylight off the Omani coast. The U.S. Central Command didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Skylight itself is relatively small, with a size of just over 11,000 deadweight tons. The biggest crude oil tankers are more than 300,000 deadweight tons.
The Equasis maritime database says it is flagged by the Republic of Palau, which is designated as medium risk on a “black list” published by the Paris Memorandum on Port State Control, which oversees ship inspections and promotes safety.
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