EMEA News
Singapore Products Tanker Comes Under Fire from Iranian Naval Vessels
The Singapore owned and flagged oil products tanker Alpine Eternity last Thursday come under fire by five Iranian naval ships in international waters of the Persian Gulf, Reuters reports.
The Iranian ships were said to have initially fired warning shots toward the Alpine Eternity, but then fired directly toward the ship after the vessel failed to stop.
The Alpine Eternity responded by sending a distress call to the United Arab Emirates Coast Guard (UAE Coast Guard) and fleeing to safety into United Arab Emirates (UAE) waters.
UAE Coast Guard was said to have helped the vessel to safety at the Port of Jebel Ali.
"No serious damage was sustained by the vessel and none of the 23 crew members were injured," said vessel owner South Maritime Pte Ltd (South Maritime).
A joint statement from the ship's owner, South Maritime, and manager, Transpetrol TM (Transpetrol), said that the incident was a result of a March 21 collision between the Alpine Eternity and an Iranian jacket platform in the Gulf.
"Since the March 21 incident, there has been a continuous dialogue between the owners/drilling contractor of the offshore structure, and representatives of the vessel and their liability insurers," said South Maritime and Transpetrol.
"Owners and managers can see no reason why the Iranian authorities should try to seize the vessel, given the advanced state of negotiations and ongoing dialogue with the Iranian counterparts."
The incident marks the second high-profile run in for vessels with the Iranian Navy this month, and industry officials were said to be bracing themselves for further incidents, a situation that could drive up insurance costs.
"The pattern looks like the Revolutionary Guards are using a commercial pretext to intervene in the incidents to date," a shipping underwriter was quoted as saying.
"This could start to impact upon (insurance) rates."
On May 1, Iran seized the Maersk Tigris due to a decade-old cargo dispute.
