Oil tanker collision and fire in Gulf of Oman caused by 'navigational misjudgment'

UAE ministry reveals early findings over incident which saw 24 crew members rescued

Oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters

The probable cause of a collision between an oil tanker and another vessel in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday was “navigational misjudgment”, the UAE's Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure has said.

The ministry said on Wednesday that early findings suggest “that the incident was caused by a navigational misjudgment by one of the vessels”, state news agency Wam reported.

The UAE Coast Guard evacuated 24 crew members from the tanker, Adalynn, after its collision with another vessel 44km off the coast near Khor Fakkan sparked an alert at 1.30am on Tuesday, the ministry said.

“The incident involved the oil tanker Adalynn, registered under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, and a cargo ship named Front Eagle, sailing under the Liberian flag,” the ministry added. “The collision resulted in minor external damage to both vessels, a small oil leak and a fire that broke out in the fuel tank of one of the ships.”

Emergency response teams swiftly extinguished the blaze and no injuries were reported among the crew, the ministry said.

A technical investigation was under way in co-ordination with the relevant international bodies, ensuring full transparency and adherence to the highest international maritime standards, it added.

All eyes on the Strait of Hormuz

Reuters reported that electronic interference with commercial ship navigation systems has surged in recent days around the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Gulf, and is affecting vessels in the region.

Israel and Iran are exchanging attacks for a sixth consecutive day. The conflict has heightened concerns over the security of vital shipping routes in the region, including the Strait of Hormuz.

The strait lies between Oman and Iran, linking the Gulf with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond.

About a fifth of the world's total oil consumption passes through the strait. Between the start of 2022 and last month, about 17.8 million to 20.8 million barrels of crude, condensate and fuels flowed through the strait daily, according to data from Vortexa.