Tanker hit off UAE near Hormuz Strait

AFP | Dubai

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A projectile hit a tanker off the coast of the east coast of the United Arab Emirates, causing a fire and leaving the captain missing, officials and maritime monitors said y esterday.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a naval monitor, said it received a report at 2300 GMT on Wednesday that "a vessel has been hit by an unknown projectile which has resulted in a fire on board" off the UAE port of Khor Fakkan in the Gulf of Oman.

At a meeting of the International Maritime Organization in London later on Thursday, the delegate from Palau identified the vessel as a chemical tanker flagged to that country, the Parimal.

He said 15 crew members were rescued by a Cook Islands-flagged tanker."However, the master is missing," he added.

Marine intelligence journal Lloyd's List said the Parimal was part of the "shadow fleet" of unregulated vessels under international sanctions.