Merchant Ship Fired upon by Skiffs off Iran

A MERCHANT vessel was attacked on Sunday off the southern coast of Iran in the Gulf of Oman and another vessel reported a suspicious approach on Monday, UK Maritime Trade Operations reported.

News ID: 73835

Date: 09 May 2017 - 10:39

A UKMTO spokesperson said a vessel came under fire around 16 miles from the coast of the city of Jask from four to five skiffs, but did not disclose any further information on the identity of the ship, MANA correspondent reported.

While the UKMTO did not reveal how the vessel was able to escape, it did confirm that there were no injuries sustained from the attack.

Sunday’s attack was followed by a suspicious approach on Monday when four skiffs approached a vessel just less than a mile from Sunday’s location.

There were no weapons seen and the UKMTO did not comment on whether it believed the two incidents were related given their close proximity.

The UKMTO, which acts as a reporting centre for security incidents in the Indian Ocean, has recently issued alerts regarding attacks and suspicious approaches off Somalia and Yemen. This is the first Iran alert in at least two months.