“Black gold” disaster in the Persian Gulf - One tanker sinks, another catches fire

A supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil has sunk in the southern part of the Persian Gulf following the explosion of a sea mine. A second vessel, which was travelling through the Strait of Hormuz along a route not authorised by Iran and was hit by an explosion, has caught fire.

TodayPress TV reports that the information was released by the Public Relations Department of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy.

“One of these vessels — a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil — sank in the southern waters of the Persian Gulf following an explosion and an extremely intense fire”,- the statement said.

According to the IRGC Navy, both tankers attempted to secretly transit the southern route of the strait with the support of the US military, after switching off all identification and positioning systems.

Fishermen in the area have been advised to observe safety precautions to avoid encountering the sunken vessel. Shipowners, shipping companies and crew members have also been warned not to approach the prohibited zone in the Strait of Hormuz.

Aysel Matlab