DUBAI: British maritime security firm Vanguard Tech said Tuesday (Feb 3) that a US-flagged tanker was approached and challenged by Iranian gunboats in the Strait of Hormuz, before continuing on its way.
The Stena Imperative was approached by three pairs of small armed boats belonging to the Revolutionary Guards while transiting the strait approximately 16 nautical miles (30 kilometres) north of Oman, the company said.
The gunboats hailed it by radio, ordering the captain “to stop the engines and prepare to be boarded”, but the ship increased speed and maintained course, the firm added, stressing it did not enter Iranian territorial waters.
“The vessel is now being escorted by a US warship,” Vanguard Tech said.
Earlier, the British maritime security agency UKMTO reported the incident without specifying the nationality of the ship or the boats that approached it.