On March 30, TASS news agency quoted an emergency report from the UK Maritime Trade Administration confirming that an attack had just occurred in the Middle East Sea.
Accordingly, an oil tanker was suddenly hit by artillery shells and caught fire fiercely while moving about 54km northwest of the Dubai coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The incident continues to raise an alarm bell about the level of unsafety on the busiest shipping route in the world.
A detailed report from the UK Maritime Security Force said that an unidentified flying object crashed straight into the starboard side of the ship. The strong collision immediately caused a large fire right on the deck, but fortunately did not result in any casualties.
According to the latest information, the entire crew has been fully counted and confirmed to be absolutely safe. In addition, functional agencies have not recorded any oil spills or major impacts on the marine ecological environment around Dubai.
According to the latest statistics from the International Maritime Organization, the sea route passing through the Strait of Hormuz is becoming dangerous for sailors. Since the escalating tension surrounding Iran, a total of 7 marine workers have been killed, 9 injured and 1 missing in similar attacks.
This UAE offshore fire incident is just the tip of a deep geopolitical crisis in the Middle East. The Strait of Hormuz has long been considered the throat of the world economy, accounting for 1/5 of the daily oil transported.
Under pressure from unremitting attacks, many international shipping corporations are facing a difficult problem: being forced to choose between taking risks when entering the Middle East or accepting to change routes that prolong the time and increase insurance costs.
