- Nineteen prisoners use cutlery to break out of cells at Winchester prison
- France wants progress in Ukraine before Russia returns to G7
- Italy president begins talks to seek way out of government crisis
- Italian PM expected to resign as political chaos deepens
- Russia says US cruise missile test ‘regrettable’
- Kremlin - No date set for Normandy talks on Ukraine despite Macron meeting
- Egypt court hands out 6 death sentences on terror charges
- Putin says Russian nuclear explosion poses no threat
- Russian panel eyes alleged foreign interference in protests
- Gran Canaria wildfire triggers evacuation of thousands of people
- PM Johnson calls on Germany and France to compromise on Brexit
- Sudan's ex-president Bashir arrives at corruption trial
Friday, 26 February 2021 (YJC) _ the UKMTO said that British ship hit by explosion in Gulf of Oman.
A ship was hit by an explosion in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, the UKMTO said on Friday.
"Investigations are ongoing. Vessel and crew are safe...Vessels transiting the area are advised to exercise caution," the notice reads.
The UKMTO did not give details on the possible cause of the explosion.
The International Maritime Security Construct, a consortium of countries officially tasked with maintaining order and security in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden and Southern Red Sea, issued a statement about the reported incident.
The Gulf of Oman connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, which then runs in to the Persian Gulf. It borders Iran and Pakistan to the north, Oman to the south and the United Arab Emirates to the west.
The region has been a scene of tension between Iran and the US in recent years after Washington unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal and tightened sanctions on Iran's oil sector. After Tehran announced that it was suspending some of its commitments under the nuclear deal in response, the US strengthened its forces in the Gulf, claiming the risk of Iranian attacks. In late 2020, the US decided to increase its military movements in the Persian Gulf, sending a strike group, led by the USS Nimitz and including two guided-missile cruisers, the USS Princeton and USS Philippine Sea, and a guided-missile destroyer, the USS Sterett.
Your Comment