Iraq explosives consultants working to defuse mine on oil tanker

Iraqi explosives consultants have been working to defuse a big mine found on an oil tanker within the Persian Gulf and evacuate its crew, authorities mentioned Friday.The assertion got here a day after two personal safety companies mentioned sailors feared that they had discovered a limpet mine on the MT Pola, a Liberian-flagged tanker within the waters off the Iraqi port of Basra. A limpet mine is a kind of naval mine that attaches to the facet of a ship, often by a diver-member of particular forces. It later explodes, and might considerably harm a vessel.The Iraqi assertion mentioned the mine had been hooked up to a tanker rented from Iraq’s Oil Marketing Company SOMO that was refueling one other vessel. Iraq’s naval forces have been making “a great effort to accomplish the mission” safely, mentioned Iraq’s Security Media Cell, which is affiliated with the nation’s safety forces.It was the primary official Iraqi affirmation {that a} mine was found on an Iraqi tanker transferring gas within the Persian Gulf to a different vessel. It didn’t determine both vessels or present extra particulars.The discovery got here amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US within the waning days of President Donald Trump’s administration.Already, America has performed B-52 bomber flyovers and despatched a nuclear submarine into the Persian Gulf over what Trump officers describe as the potential of an Iranian assault on the one-year anniversary of the U.S. drones strike in Baghdad that killed a high Iranian normal and a high Iraqi militia chief.Iraq is marking the anniversary with a collection of occasions this week.On Thursday, the United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations, a corporation below Britain’s royal navy, mentioned on its web site that an “unknown object” had been hooked up to a ship’s hull within the neighborhood of Iraq’s Khor Al-Zubair Port, with out offering additional info.The Pola serves as floating gas oil storage of Iraq’s State Organization of Marketing of Oil, mentioned Sudharsan Sarathy, a senior oil analyst on the data-analysis agency Refinitiv. Smaller vessels carry the gas oil to the ship, which then conducts ship-to-ship transfers within the Persian Gulf to shoppers.Sarathy mentioned the Pola was conducting a ship-to-ship switch with the MT Nordic Freedom, a Bermuda-flagged tanker.Friday’s assertion mentioned an explosives-handling group from Iraq’s Interior Ministry was airlifted to the scene after a “foreign body” was noticed hooked up to one of many ships within the ready space in Iraq’s worldwide waters, 28 nautical miles from Iraqi oil ports.Despite excessive waves, the vessel receiving the gas was evacuated whereas the Iraqi group was nonetheless engaged on neutralizing the mine and evacuating the refueling ship, it mentioned.In 2019, the US blamed Iran for a collection of limpet mine assaults on oil tankers close to the Strait of Hormuz, the slender mouth of the Persian Gulf by way of which 20% of all of the world’s oil passes. Iran denies being concerned.