The circumstances of what the British navy reported as a "potential hijack" of a ship off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday remain unclear as of Wednesday morning.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations initially warned ships Tuesday that "an incident is currently underway" off the coast of Fujairah. Hours later, the authorities said the incident was a "potential hijack," but provided no further details.
Shipping authority Lloyd's List and maritime intelligence firm Dryad Global both identified the vessel involved in the incident as Panama-flagged asphalt tanker Asphalt Princess. The vessel's owner, listed as Emirati free zone-based Glory International, could not immediately be reached for comment late Tuesday.
The Times of London also reported that the Asphalt Princess had been hijacked, citing British sources as saying they were "working on the assumption Iranian military or proxies boarded the vessel."
Satellite-tracking data for the vessel showed it slowly heading toward Iranian waters off the port of Jask early Wednesday, according to MarineTraffic.com.
The US military's 5th Fleet and the British Defense Ministry also did not immediately return calls for comment. The Emirati government did not immediately acknowledge the incident.
Earlier, at least four oil tankers announced around the same time 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.
"At the same time, if they are in the same vicinity and in the same place, then very rarely that happens," said Ranjith Raja, an oil and shipping expert with data firm Refintiv. "Not all the vessels would lose their engines or their capability to steer at the same time."
Sources in Abu Dhabi reported Tuesday that Israel's defense establishment had updated them on the incident and said that Israel was not involved. Sources in the United Arab Emirates reported that one of the ships affected was the Singapore-flagged Golden Brilliant, which had run into a mine or some kind of underwater weapon and sustained serious damage.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
One of the vessels later began moving.
Nour News, affiliated with Iran's top national security body, quoted a senior navy official as saying "the movement of commercial vessels is quite normal and no official naval sources or countries in the Persian Gulf have reported any incidents."
Iran's foreign ministry said the reports of maritime incidents were "suspicious" and warned against any effort to create a "false atmosphere" against Tehran.
The Al-Arabiyye network reported that Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps had denied any involvement in the incident.
An Oman Royal Air Force Airbus C-295MPA, a maritime patrol aircraft, flew in circles for hours over the waters, according to data from FlightRadar24.com.
Apparently responding to the incident, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh called the recent maritime attacks in the Persian Gulf "completely suspicious." He denied that Iran was involved.
"Iran's naval forces are ready for help and rescue in the region," Khatibzadeh said.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, the NATO military alliance and the European Union joined a growing chorus of international condemnation of Iran's alleged attack on the Mercer Street merchant ship in the Arabian Sea last week and urged Tehran to respect its international obligations.
Last Thursday's drone strike killed a British national and a Romanian. It was the first known fatal strike on commercial shipping in the region after years of tensions over the tattered nuclear deal between western nations and Iran.
NATO spokesman Dylan White said the 30-nation alliance joins members the US, UK and Romania "in strongly condemning the recent fatal attack on the MV Mercer Street off the coast of Oman, and express our condolences to Romania and the United Kingdom for the losses they have suffered."
"Freedom of navigation is vital for all NATO allies, and must be upheld in accordance with international law," White said. "Allies remain concerned by Iran's destabilizing actions in the region, and call on Tehran to respect its international obligations."
The EU, meanwhile, deplored the attack, expressed its condolences for the victims and called for a thorough independent investigation.
"Such acts contrary to the security and freedom of navigation in the region are unacceptable," European Commission spokeswoman Nabila Massrali said. "All parties concerned must avoid all actions that could undermine peace and regional stability."
