ABU DHABI / DUBAI — A Greek-owned very large crude carrier reported an external explosion striking its port side near the waterline sixty nautical miles off Oman’s capital Muscat on Tuesday, sending the vessel partially operational but intact as crews worked to contain a fuel spill, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency.
The tanker, identified as the Olympic Life and managed by Athens-based Springfield Shipping, was sailing past Muscat at roughly 0700 GMT heading out of the Gulf of Oman when it was struck by an unidentified object approximately two hours later, the company said in a statement to Reuters. The incident remains under investigation and no party has claimed responsibility.
The vessel, owned by Olympic Shipping & Management — successor to the Olympic Management company founded by late shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis — was not carrying cargo at the time. A post-incident assessment indicated damage to one of the ship’s bunker tanks, with a fuel sheen subsequently reported in the water before the spill was contained, according to the company statement.
The timing of the explosion drew immediate attention given the heightened tensions in the Gulf following the collapse of a US-Iran ceasefire and the reopening of hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz corridor, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquified natural gas passes. At least 6,000 vessels have been blocked from transiting the mined waterway since the conflict erupted on 28 February, shipping analysts estimate.
UKMTO said the vessel and its crew were confirmed safe following the incident. Maritime insurers have in recent weeks advised vessels to avoid the Gulf of Oman approach corridor given the proximity to active conflict zones and the reported use of autonomous naval drones and explosive boats by Iranian-backed forces.
The attack follows a series of maritime incidents in the region, including the targeting of vessels transiting near Iranian territorial waters and the repeated mining of approaches to the Strait of Hormuz. No group claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s explosion in the immediatehours after it occurred.