Mystery in the Persian Gulf: Vanishing oil tanker near Iran fuels speculation

[corbe]

Mystery in the Persian Gulf: Vanishing oil tanker near Iran fuels speculation

Published time: 16 Jul, 2019 14:37
Edited time: 16 Jul, 2019 17:24

Sailing through the Strait of Hormuz, an Emirates-based oil tanker has vanished (from the radar). With the strait a flashpoint for US-Iran tensions, is Tehran to blame?


A graphic shows the Riah's route and last known positions. Information from MarineTraffic.com and VesselFinder.com

However, while passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday night, the vessel’s tracking signal abruptly turned off just before midnight, after it deviated from its course and pointed towards the Iranian coast. According to marine tracking data, the signal has not been turned on again since, and the ship has essentially vanished.

So what happened? With US-Iranian tensions bubbling, and Iran blamed for several attacks on oil tankers near the strait in recent months, attention turned to the Islamic Republic. Israeli media picked up the story on Tuesday, and framed it as another development in the ongoing saga, highlighting Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s vow on Tuesday to respond to Britain’s seizure of an Iranian tanker near Gibraltar earlier this month.

<..snip..>

https://www.rt.com/news/464306-iran-tanker-disappears-riah/

[corbe]

   Begs the question, why is RT reporting this?

[Fishrrman]

Did they "find it" yet?
I'm surprised this story isn't attracting more attention...

[TomSea]

I had not heard about this but do find some coverage:

Oil tanker last seen near Iranian territory missing as Tehran vows "response" to seizure of its own ship

Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- Tracking data shows an oil tanker based in the United Arab Emirates traveling through the Strait of Hormuz drifted off into Iranian waters and stopped transmitting its location over two days ago, raising concerns Tuesday about its status amid heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S.

Iran vowed on Tuesday, as the world wondered where the tanker had gone, that the seizure of one of its own crude oil tankers by British military forces earlier in July would not go "without a response."

It isn't clear what happened to the Panamanian-flagged oil tanker Riah late on Saturday night. However, its last position showed it pointing toward Iranian waters and the Islamic Republic's Qeshm island, which hosts a number of bases belonging to Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard forces. Oil tankers have previously been targeted as the Persian Gulf region took center stage in a crisis over Iran's unraveling nuclear deal with world powers.

Read more at: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iran-news-oil-tanker-riah-missing-persian-gulf-iranians-vow-response-united-kingdom-seizing-grace-1-2019-07-16/

Thx @corbe 

I never would not have heard about this story otherwise, if you had not posted it.  I'll see if there is anything else on this. Very under-reported and significant.