TEHRAN – Two oil tankers caught fire and exploded after striking naval mines while attempting to secretly navigate an unauthorized route through the Strait of Hormuz, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy announced.
In a statement on Saturday night, the IRGC Navy said the two oil tankers had attempted to pass through the strategic waterway with their navigation and automatic identification systems switched off.
The vessels struck naval mines and suffered powerful explosions, triggering severe fires, the statement added.
Following the incident, two other tankers that had also intended to make a covert passage through the strait complied with warnings issued by the IRGC Navy’s Strait of Hormuz vessel traffic control center and turned back toward the waters of the Persian Gulf, it added.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it had received a report from Indian shipping authorities concerning an attack on a tanker sailing eastbound through the Persian Gulf, before entering the Strait of Hormuz.
All crew members are reported safe and accounted for, while the extent of damage to the vessel and any environmental impact remain unknown.
UKMTO said the source of the report had been verified and advised vessels transiting the area to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity.