IRGC Navy Says Oil Tanker Caught Fire After Striking Sea Mine South of Strait of Hormuz
An oil tanker carrying crude oil caught fire in its engine room after striking a sea mine south of the Strait of Hormuz, the IRGC Navy’s Public Relations Office announced, saying the incident occurred after the vessel switched off its navigation systems and entered an unauthorized route.
The Public Relations Office of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy announced that an oil tanker caught fire in its engine room after striking a sea mine south of the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, alleging that the vessel had violated the strait’s regulations by switching off its navigation systems and taking an unauthorized route.
In a statement, the IRGC Navy’s Public Relations Office said the tanker was carrying crude oil and attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz when the incident occurred.
The statement said the vessel had switched off all its navigation systems and violated the regulations governing the strait. It added that the incident occurred because the tanker was travelling along an unauthorized route.
According to the statement, this was the third tanker violating the regulations to have struck sea mines and caught fire while travelling along an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz since the previous day.
The IRGC Navy warned that all vessels operating in the Strait of Hormuz that switch off their navigation and identification systems would be classified as hostile and would face a forceful and decisive response.