There was confusion as gunmen hijack Asphalt tanker ASPHALT PRINCESS in the Gulf of Oman, according to FleetMon.
It stated: “Asphalt tanker ASPHALT PRINCESS was alleged, “boarded and hijacked” by 9 armed men off Fujairah, UAE, Gulf of Oman, in the afternoon Aug 3. Tanker according to hysterical reports, started to move in the direction of Iran. British BBC and the rest of the pack have no doubt already, that the tanker was “hijacked” by Iranian forces. Iran strongly denies any involvement in this mysterious incident.
“Asphalt tanker ASPHALT PRINCESS, operated by UAE-based Company, is an old rusty bucket of a very dignified age of some 55 years. There’s no AIS records history, tanker emerged on the radars shortly before the “hijack” on Jul 29, drifting off Fujairah UAE – Sohar Oman, and went off radars again, to reappear on Aug 3, when she was “hijacked”.
“Tanker’s value is something close to the value of scrap metal, she’s almost undoubtedly, in ballast, and so what very stupid criminal will choose her as a most suitable target for hijacking?”
It added: “Iran has absolutely nothing to gain by this very stupid, senseless “hijack”. As of 0230 UTC, the tanker was adrift – “hijackers” obviously, don’t know what to do next, or are waiting for instructions.”
