08.03.21
British paper says London working on assumption that 'Iranian military or proxies' boarded Asphalt Princess vessel in area off Fujairah Emirate, whose dock is currently hosting Israeli-managed tanker hit last week in UAV attack that West has blamed on Iran
Britain's maritime trade agency warned Tuesday of a "potential hijack" underway off the coast of the United Arab Emirates after at least five ships in the area said that they had lost control of their steering.
It wasn't immediately clear what was happening off the coast of the Fujairah Emirate in the Gulf of Oman, days after an Israeli-managed oil tanker was attacked in the same area.
The Times of London reported Tuesday evening that British sources believe the Asphalt Princess vessel had been hijacked and were "working on the assumption Iranian military or proxies boarded" the ship.
Fujairah dock is currently hosting MV Mercer Street, the tanker involved in the attack that killed two crew members - a Briton and a Romanian. The United States, Israel and Britain said Iran was behind the attack.
The five vessels announced via their Automatic Identification System trackers that they were "not under command," according to MarineTraffic.com.
That typically means a vessel has lost power and can no longer steer. One of them later began moving.
The ships broadcast their warnings at around the same time as the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which is part of the Royal Navy, advised vessels to exercise extreme caution in the area some 61 nautical miles east of Fujairah.
It provided no details regarding the vessel or vessels involved.
The U.S. military's Mideast-based 5th Fleet and the British Defense Ministry did not immediately return calls for comment. The Emirati government did not immediately acknowledge the incident.
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/h1mcbr8yy
The ships — four of which have been identified as oil tankers called Queen Ematha, Golden Brilliant, Jag Pooja and Abyss — announced around the same time via their automatic identification system trackers that they were "not under command," according to MarineTraffic.com.
This usually means that the ship has lost its power and is no longer able to steer.
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/h1mcbr8yy
