UAE evacuates 24 people from oil tanker after collision near Hormuz Strait

DUBAI (Reuters): The United Arab Emirates coast guard said on Tuesday it had evacuated 24 people from the oil tanker ADALYNN following a collision between two ships in the Gulf of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz.

British maritime security firm Ambrey earlier reported an incident 22 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan in the UAE, and said the cause of the incident was not security-related.

The maritime incident unfolded as Iran and Israel exchanged attacks for a fifth day following Israel’s launch of widescale strikes on Friday, which Israel said were aimed at preventing Tehran from building an atomic weapon.

Naval sources have told Reuters that electronic interference with commercial ship navigation systems has surged in recent days around the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Gulf, which is having an impact on vessels sailing through the region.

The Strait of Hormuz lies between Oman and Iran and links the Gulf north of it with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond.

About a fifth of the world’s total oil consumption passes through the strait. Between the start of 2022 and last month, roughly 17.8 million to 20.8 million barrels of crude, condensate and fuels flowed through the strait daily, according to data from Vortexa.

The UAE National Guard said in a post on X that the 24 crew members were taken to Khor Fakkan port in the UAE using search and rescue boats.

There was no immediate response to a Reuters request for comment from the Emirati foreign ministry or Khor Fakkan container terminal early on Tuesday.