Web Alert: Recent incident involving vessels attacked in Gulf of Oman

Explosions have been reported from two tankers in the Gulf of Oman on 13 June 2019. As a result, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) have issued the following advisory:

'We are aware of an incident involving two merchant tankers in the Gulf of Oman. The circumstances are currently unclear and under investigation. Vessels transiting the area are advised to exercise extreme caution.'

This information is currently under investigation and official information remains limited. We will update members as and when more information is available.

At this stage, we would advise members operating in the area to operate with extreme caution in accordance with the advisory published by UKMTO.

We would further advise that ships operating in the area should take the following precautions:

• Continue to follow the registration and reporting procedures described in chart Q6099 and BMP 5.
• Report security incidents including suspicious behaviour to UKMTO, MSCHOA and CMF. Details are found in BMP 5.
• Seek advice and guidance from US/UAE/Saudi warships in the area.
• Increase vigilance of ship’s crew eg by stepping up on lookouts and security patrols, keep VHF radio watch and maintain dialogue with port authorities.
• When operating in the listed areas, implement security measures equivalent to ISPS Security Level 2.
• Consider improving the watertight integrity of the hull by closing selected doors and hatches.
• Consider ensuring that crew sleeping areas are located above the waterline.
• Consider the wide range of additional self-protection measures as described in ATP-02.1 Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping, which can be found here.
• Be in touch with their hull/war/P&I insurers.

For further information, please contact your usual contact at the club or the authors of this article.​

Category: Maritime Security