Iran Claims Strike on Iran-Linked Bitumen Tanker
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has claimed an attack on the bitumen tanker Athe Nova, currently located off the coast of Khor Fakkan. It is at least the sixth tanker strike attributed to Iran in two days, part of a wave of retaliatory attacks following last weekend's U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Tehran.
Like previous tanker target Skylight, Athe Nova has a history of serving Iranian energy shipping interests, and is an unusual selection for Iranian forces to attack. According to shipping data firm Windward, the vessel has called before at the Iranian port of Soroosh and at ports in Oman.
Just before the claimed strike, the Athe Nova exhibited AIS movement behavior consistent with a distress situation or loitering near the Strait of Hormuz, Windward reports.
Athe Nova is a Honduran-flagged bitumen tanker built in 1998 and managed in the UAE. At 28 years of age, the vessel is operating beyond the normal commercial lifespan of a tanker, and has an extensive inspection and detention history. PSC inspectors have found issues on board in every boarding since 2015; the vessel was last examined in India in 2023, and port state control found issues with hatches, deck corrosion, lifeboats, drills, and electrical equipment safety.
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Previously reported Iranian attacks of the last two days include strikes on the crude oil tanker MKD Vyom at a position 50 nm north of Muscat, resulting in the death of one crewmember; the tanker Hercules Star, hit off Mina Saqr; the tanker Sea La Donna, off Abu Dhabi; the U.S.-flagged product tanker Stena Imperative at Bahrain, killing one yard worker; and an unconfirmed strike on the Greek-owned MR tanker Ocean Electra, which has not been included in most reports. Media outlets and regional maritime security agencies have differing lists, and an exact accounting may take time.
Top image: Bitumen tanker Athe Nova (file image courtesy VesselFinder / mgklingsick)
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