ANDREA VICTORY

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Tanker Bombed Near Persian Gulf Headed Back to Iran

(Bloomberg) –An oil tanker damaged in a bombing that was blamed on Iran is back in business. The ship’s first destination: Iran. The Andrea Victory is sailing in the northern Persian Gulf and signaling Iran’s Bandar Imam Khomeini as a destination, according to ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. The data show the vessel, which was attacked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in May, is full and transporting fuel to Iran. Tanker bombings this year inflamed tensions in the Gulf as the U.S. and Saudi Arabia blamed Iran for targeting the vessels and putting oil flows at risk. Iran denies involvement in the attacks. Iran and European countries are in a standoff over the Islamic republic’s adherence to the 2015 nuclear deal and the seizure by U.K. forces of a cargo of Iranian crude. The Norwegian-flagged Andrea Victory was one of four vessels damaged by explosions off the U.A.E. port of Fujairah in May. Two other tankers were bombed close to Iranian territorial waters in June. Fujairah, the Gulf’s main oil-trading hub, sits just outside the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic chokepoint at the entrance to the Gulf.

Drones thought to have placed plastic mines

The "Andrea Victory" and three other tankers off Fujairah were most likely damaged by underwater drones that placed magnetic mines on the hulls during the past week, according to a secret report on the incidents from the Norwegian War Insurance for Ships. According to the report, it was believed that the drones transported mines with 30-50 kg explosives, which were placed on the ships at the height of the water line. The drones were probably controlled from a nearby vessel. The report also pointed out that it was probably the Iranian Revolutionary Guard that was behind the sabotage as it allegedly previously delivered similar drones to its allies in Yemen. Granat splinters found on the hull of the "Andrea Victory" resembled the shrapnel that was previously left behind from drones used off the Yemen by the Iran-backed Houti militia.

Damage could have been caused by a limpet mine

The "Andrea Victory" was still at anchor after a gash was ripped in a ballast tank in the stern by an explosive in the Gulf of Oman, with water swirling in and out the jagged hole which was big enough to swim through. The tanker had arrived at noon on May 11 with its crew resting following a two-week sail from Durban. The ship was to be loaded in Fujairah. Emirati officials whi initially suggested the hole could have been caused by a rocket or missile, meanwhile concluded it may have been a caused by a mine or improvised explosive device attached to the side of the ship. Precisely who carried out the attack however was still under investigation. On May 12 at 6.35 a.m. a call was made by a ship reporting something wrong with its engine, that there seemed to be water in the engine room. By 8 a.m., Emirati authorities realized on the whole four ships were struggling with unexplained incidents. On several of the vessels, water was pouring in below the water line. All ships appeared to have been targeted at their rear, the most vulnerable part of a vessel, and being the hardest area to cover by radar, and the most difficult to see with the eye. The holes may have been caused by limpet mines, which are used at or below the water line, easily stuck to the hull by a diver or attacker in a small boat, and detonated by a timer. The holes were consistent with a 5 kg charge (about the amount of explosives in a Limpet mine). There was a lack of scorching or burning a rocket or missile might leave.