A Chinese-owned oil tanker was damaged near the Strait of Hormuz during escalating maritime tensions linked to the US-Iran conflict and disruptions to global shipping routes.
Handout photo by the US Navy via Getty Images
- A Chinese-owned oil tanker was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first reported attack on a Chinese tanker during the conflict.
- The vessel reportedly caught fire off the coast of the United Arab Emirates amid escalating tensions between the US and Iran.
- Donald Trump briefly launched and then paused a US operation aimed at assisting stranded ships in the region.
A Chinese-owned oil products tanker was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, Chinese media outlet Caixin reported, as President Donald Trump launched a US plan that day to help stranded vessels but suspended it a day later.
This was the first time a Chinese oil tanker has been attacked, a person with knowledge of the matter told Caixin on Thursday.
Traffic through the vital strait, through which 20% of the world’s oil and gas supplies pass, has been at a virtual standstill since the Iran conflict began on 28 February.
The unnamed vessel’s deck caught fire, and the ship was marked “CHINA OWNER & CREW,” according to Caixin.
It was not clear if any of the vessel’s crew were injured.
READ | Iran says Strait of Hormuz passage to be ensured after US pauses operation
China remains a key buyer of Iranian oil, which has been targeted by a US blockade in the Gulf of Oman.
China’s foreign ministry did not respond to an out-of-hours request for comment.
Trump said on Monday the US would begin efforts to assist ships stranded in Hormuz, though he suspended it a day later, after Iran responded by launching drones and missiles at several ships and at its neighbours, particularly the UAE.
Incident occurred off UAE coast
Maritime security sources said the Chinese vessel that was damaged was believed to be the Marshall Islands-flagged oil products and chemical tanker JV Innovation, which had reported a fire on its deck to nearby ships on Monday.
The incident took place off the United Arab Emirates coast in the Gulf close to Mina Saqr, the report said.
READ | Trump hints at end of Iran war: ‘We’ve had very good talks’, but key US demands unresolved
Due to the ongoing conflict between the US and Iran, hundreds of ships and 20 000 seafarers remain trapped inside the Gulf, with traffic through Hormuz paralysed after renewed attacks on ships this week.
China’s foreign minister Wang Yi met with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Beijing a day earlier, and they discussed reopening the strait, a Chinese foreign ministry statement said.
The US and Iran are edging toward a limited, temporary agreement to halt the war, sources and officials said, with a draft framework that would stop the fighting but leave the most contentious issues unresolved.