Columbia Ship Management: Contact lost with vessel carrying cargo of high-sulfur diesel fuel

On Friday, the British maritime security firm Ambrey reported that a Marshall Islands-flagged crude oil tanker en route from the UAE to Singapore had suddenly deviated from its course while transiting the Gulf of Oman and was heading towards Iranian territorial waters. Ambrey suggested that the incident was a deliberate attack. The firm added that three small boats had approached the vessel earlier as it sailed south through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has not acknowledged the incident

The British military warned of possible "state activity" behind a ship that was passing through the Strait of Hormuz suddenly changing course into Iranian territorial waters on Friday, while a private security firm said small vessels had intercepted the ship earlier. Iran has not acknowledged the incident, which occurred off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Tehran has seized ships in the past amid tensions with the West.

(IRGC) moved the crude oil tanker Talara toward the Iranian coast.

Columbia Ship Management said the vessel, carrying a cargo of high-sulfur diesel fuel, was en route from Sharjah, UAE, to Singapore when contact was lost. Two maritime sources told Reuters that an initial assessment indicated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had moved the crude oil tanker Talara  toward the Iranian coast.

Related : Ambrey : Explosion near Liberia-flagged tanker of Red Sea

Detected "suspicious" activity related to the incident,

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported earlier on Friday that it had received a report of an incident in the Arabian Sea, 20 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates. UKMTO stated that it had detected "suspicious" activity related to the incident, without providing further details, but confirmed that authorities had launched an investigation.

20 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan 

It is noteworthy that the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported earlier on Friday that it had received a report of an incident in the Arabian Sea, 20 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates. (UKMTO) stated that it had detected "suspicious" activity related to the incident, without providing further details, but confirmed that authorities had launched an investigation.

Agencies 

UKMTO , Khor Fakkan , Columbia Ship Management ,crude oil tanker Talara , Marshall Islands-flagged  ,(IRGC), UAE to Singapore , three small boats