An oil vessel run by the United Arab Emirates’ state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) was damaged in an attack within the country’s territorial waters in the Arabian Gulf on Tuesday. The same day, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said two oil tankers had caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway at the centre of rising tensions over who controls it.
ADNOC Logistics and Services confirmed that one of its vessels had been hit during the afternoon, according to the UAE state news agency WAM. The company said response teams were still working on the situation and would share further updates as more information emerged. It did not name the ship, describe how badly it was harmed, or say whether anyone aboard had been hurt. It also gave no details about how the attack was carried out.
It remains unclear whether the ADNOC ship was one of the two tankers that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said were left burning in the strait. Neither incident has been tied to the other so far.
Also read: Iran says two tankers and a tugboat caught fire in Hormuz
The attack in UAE waters is one of a series of incidents involving merchant ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has restricted maritime traffic there since the Middle East war broke out in late February.
Iran’s Guards describe burning tankers in Hormuz
Separately, the Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday that two oil tankers had caught fire after explosions while trying to pass through the strait by routes Tehran considers unauthorised. In its statement, the IRGC said the ships had been brought to a halt and were still burning.
The Guards did not name the vessels, their flags or their operators, and gave no information about casualties or the condition of their crews. According to the force, one of the ships, described as a supertanker, struck a naval mine and exploded. The second tanker, which it said was escorted by the American military and attempted a covert passage by an illegal route, also had an incident, the statement said. It did not say what happened to that vessel or provide independent evidence for its claims about the US escort.
Iran has made several similar announcements in recent weeks, saying commercial ships caught fire after using routes it deems unauthorised. Tehran has blamed some of these incidents on naval mines, although the US military has recently said mines were cleared from the waterway. No independent confirmation of the latest IRGC-reported incidents was immediately available.
Strait of Hormuz restrictions and shipping risks
The incidents highlight the growing danger to commercial shipping in the Gulf, as Iran and the United States remain locked in a standoff over maritime access and security. Since the conflict began in late February, Tehran has tightly limited traffic through the strait and insists that vessels use routes it authorises. Washington has responded by imposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports and helping commercial tankers get through the waterway.
The strait links the Arabian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, and is one of the world’s most important energy corridors. It normally carries about one-fifth of global oil supplies, so any disruption is a major worry for energy markets and international trade.
US Central Command said last month that it had helped Gulf countries export 1.5 billion barrels of oil through the strait since the summer.
ADNOC’s earlier vessel attacks during the conflict
ADNOC has reported attacks on its vessels before. In an August 7 statement, the company said 15 of its ships had been attacked by missiles and drones while transiting the strait since the war began. Those incidents had resulted in one crew member’s death and injuries to 20 others, it said.
At the time, the company said it was taking measures in coordination with UAE authorities to protect its personnel, vessels and operations. The latest strike inside UAE waters deepens concern about the safety of merchant ships well beyond the immediate approaches to the strait. The conflict continues to threaten shipping routes and energy supplies across the region.
