***Hmm, that is interesting. I wonder what the heck is going on, and how unusual this is.
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UK ‘Urgently Investigating’ Incident on Ship Between UAE, Iran Amid ‘Hijacking’ Report
(snip) The United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said it was tracking with urgency an incident that its military’s maritime tracker identified involving at least one ship traversing the tense Gulf of Oman between the United Arab Emirates and Iran.
The comment came after the Defense Ministry’s U.K. Maritime Trade Operations reported on Tuesday that “an Incident is currently underway” 61 nautical miles east of the UAE’s Fujairah coast. The incident was described as “non-piracy” and then also classified as a “potential hijacking” by the monitor.
Meanwhile, other independent maritime trackers began to show that a number of vessels in the vicinity of the incident were reporting “Not under command,” meaning the crew was unable to maneuver as needed, often due to an exceptional circumstance.
These ships included oil tankers Golden Brilliant and Front Crown, both of which have since reported they were “underway using engine.”
DEVELOPING: UK's Maritime Trade Operations is reporting a “potential hijack” of a ship called 'Asphalt Princess' off the coast of the United Arab Emirates with the vessel believed to have been seized and armed individuals reported to have boarded - SKY— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) August 3, 2021
JUST IN - Iran hijacked tanker Asphalt Princess, Lloyd's List confirms.— Disclose.tv 🚨 (@disclosetv) August 3, 2021
UPDATE - Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it is not responsible for the hijacking of a ship in the Gulf of Oman.— Disclose.tv 🚨 (@disclosetv) August 3, 2021
A group of eight or nine armed individuals, backed by Iran, are believed to have boarded the vessel, a security source tells Sky News.
Armed personnel backed by Iran are suspected of seizing an oil tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in what a Royal Navy threat centre called a “potential hijacking”.
The White House described reports about the Asphalt Princess as "deeply concerning".
But Iran's Revolutionary Guards denied that its forces or allies were involved in any incident, claiming the allegations were a pretext for "hostile action" against Tehran, state television reported on its website.
It comes at a time of heightened tensions following a suspected Iranian drone attack on an Israeli-linked tanker less than a week ago that left a British national and a Romanian dead.
The UK, Israel and the United States have accused Iran of the assault and vowed to respond.
British officials - so far - don't appear to regard the targeting of the Panama-flagged Asphalt Princess, operated by a company based in Dubai, as a new escalation, though there are clearly concerns about a ship allegedly being seized by Iranian-linked gunmen.
A security source said a group of eight or nine individuals were believed to have boarded the ship. "It was an unauthorised boarding in the Gulf of Oman," the source said.
https://news.sky.com/story/potential-hijack-of-ship-off-uae-coast-12371922
UPDATE - Reports of at least one ship hijacked by armed individuals, multiple other ships in the area have apparently "lost control" of their steering under unclear circumstances.— Disclose.tv 🚨 (@disclosetv) August 3, 2021