Aug 13 (Reuters) – Abu Dhabi National Oil Company said two of its vessels were attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday evening, with no injuries reported, as the United Arab Emirates accused Iran of carrying out the attack.
The attack was the second such incident involving ADNOC vessels in less than a week. On Saturday, the UAE condemned what it said was an Iranian attack on a vessel linked to the state oil company as it passed through the strait.
ADNOC said the situation had been brought under control, according to the UAE’s state news agency WAM.
The UAE Foreign Ministry condemned what it called a “hostile Iranian attack” on the two ADNOC vessels. It said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had committed “acts of piracy” by targeting commercial shipping and using the strait as a tool of economic pressure or blackmail, posing a direct threat to regional stability and global energy security.
Neither WAM nor the Foreign Ministry gave details about the vessels, their cargoes or possible damage. No injuries were reported.
There was no immediate comment from Iran’s Foreign Ministry or the IRGC.
About a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the narrow waterway between Oman and Iran before the conflict. Since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran broke out on February 28, shipping has been repeatedly disrupted, raising freight rates and creating security concerns.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have previously threatened action against vessels transiting the strait if they are linked to Tehran’s adversaries or fail to comply with Iranian directives.
ADNOC said on Friday it had been significantly affected by what it described as unprovoked attacks on its personnel and assets, while continuing to meet customer requirements in an “exceptionally challenging environment.”
ADNOC, Abu Dhabi’s state oil company, is one of the world’s largest energy producers and exports crude oil, natural gas and refined products worldwide.
(Reporting by Enas Alashray and Eman Abouhassira; Editing by Chris Reese, Rod Nickel)
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