The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said that it had received information concerning several merchant vessels in the Northern Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Reports indicated that the vessels had been subjected to "disabling fire" amid ongoing military activity in the region.
UKMTO stated that it could not confirm whether there had been any casualties or environmental impact at the time of reporting. It added that authorities were aware of the incidents and that relevant investigations were ongoing.
ALSO READ: US-Iran Strikes: CENTCOM Releases Video Of Iranian Oil Tanker Sinking In Gulf Of Oman — Watch
UKMTO used the term "disabling fire" to describe the reported attacks or fire directed at the merchant vessels. The advisory did not provide a detailed account of the weapons used or identify the party responsible for the fire in the currently available material.
Independent maritime security company Clearwater Dynamics subsequently reported that open-source information indicated that three tankers had been disabled, one approximately six nautical miles from Kharg Island, Iran, and two in the Gulf of Oman. Clearwater stated that the crews of all three vessels were reported safe.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) separately announced that US forces had disabled three Iranian crude-oil tankers. CENTCOM identified the vessels as: M/T Downy, M/T Stark 1, and M/T Kylo (also referred to as Noxen). It stated that the strikes took place in waters around Iran and the Gulf of Oman and that the vessels were associated with an Iranian oil network.
According to CENTCOM, the tanker strikes followed Iranian military action against US Navy vessels. It said that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had launched ballistic missiles towards two US Navy warships operating in the region. The US military said that the ships successfully evaded the attacks and that no US personnel were injured.
CENTCOM then said that US forces struck the three Iranian oil tankers in retaliation. It described the vessels as part of what it called an Iranian "shadow network" used to generate revenue for the IRGC and its regional proxies.
CENTCOM stated that the tanker Kylo, also referred to as Noxen, was completely destroyed after US forces struck it at multiple critical locations. It stated that the crew had been directed to abandon the vessel before the attack. Subsequent reporting said that the vessel sank in the Gulf of Oman.
ALSO READ: Iran Issues Evacuation Warning To Oil Tankers Crew Near Bahrain And Kuwait After US Attacks
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