MUSCAT: The Omani navy rescued 24 crew members of a Malta-flagged container ship struck by missiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, state media said, as Iran pressed its Gulf retaliation campaign.
The cargo ship was “hit by two missiles” and Oman’s royal navy rescued its “crew of 24 people” who are now in good health, the Oman News Agency said.
Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the ship was two nautical miles north of Oman, “transiting eastbound in the Straits of Hormuz” when it was “hit by an unknown projectile just above the water line causing a fire in the engine room.”
Private maritime security agency Vanguard Tech said the vessel was the Malta-flagged Safeen Prestige. Information from shipping activity tracker Marine Traffic shows the vessel was en route from the UAE’s Ghantoot port to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.
It was the fourth reported attack in regional waters within 24 hours, after projectiles struck or landed near three other vessels off the Emirati and Omani coasts.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday said they had “complete control” over the vital waterway, through which around 20 percent of global seaborne oil passes, and warned that any vessels seeking to pass risked damage from missiles or stray drones.
With energy prices already spiking, US President Donald Trump had said the US Navy was ready to escort oil tankers through the crucial shipping route.
Oman navy rescues crew of ship hit by missiles in Hormuz Strait
https://arab.news/8c9zw
Oman navy rescues crew of ship hit by missiles in Hormuz Strait
- Vessel was en route from the UAE’s Ghantoot port to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia
- Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said that they had ‘complete control’ over the vital waterway
King Hamad says Bahrain 'committed to peace' as Iran attacks continue
LONDON: Bahrain is committed to the "path of peace" King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa said on Saturday as the kingdom continued to be targeted by Iranian attacks.
Bahrain supports efforts that "enhance security and stability in the region and the world," the king said during a phone call with Spain's King Felipe VI.
"The people of the Kingdom of Bahrain are peaceful and believe in tolerance and coexistence," Bahrain News Agency reported him saying.
His comments came on another day of Iranian strikes against Gulf countries in response to the US-Israeli attack on Iran.
Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, has been targeted by waves of drone and missile strikes since the conflict started on February 28.
Loud explosions were heard Saturday evening in Bahrain's capital Manama, AFP reported. Bahrain's interior ministry said there was fire and material damage to a house and surrounding building in Manama following strikes from Iran.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it had targeted US forces at Bahrain's Jufair base.
Another wave of attacks were directed at the kingdom earlier in the morning.
The UAE said its air defences intercepted 15 missiles and 119 drones on Saturday morning as attacks disrupted flights in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Qatar said on Saturday it had intercepted a missile, shortly after AFP journalists heard explosions and sirens sounding in central Doha.
"Armed forces intercepted (a) missile attack which targeted (the) State of Qatar," the defence ministry said.
*With AFP
