An oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman was boarded by “unauthorised” people in military uniforms on Thursday morning, an advisory group run by the British military and a private intelligence firm warned.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKTMO), which provides warnings to sailors in the Middle East, said the incident began early in the morning in waters between Oman and Iran in an area transited by ships coming in and out of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil traded passes.
UKTMO described receiving a report from the ship’s security manager of hearing “unknown voices over the phone” alongside with the ship’s captain.
It said it was unable to make further contact with the vessel and that the authorities were investigating the incident.
Iran and Oman did not immediately acknowledge the boarding.
The development comes amid high tensions in the nearby Red Sea, where attacks by Houthi rebels based in Yemen are disrupting shipping.
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