SINGAPOREââ¬âA supertanker loaded with 270,000 metric tons of crude oil was attacked early Wednesday morning off the coast of Oman, the vessel's manager said.
The incident, the second against a tanker in the region in 24 hours, comes after unrest in Egypt rekindled concerns over the reliability of oil transit in the Middle East and East Africa.
The owners of the vessel, Greece-based N.S. Lemos & Co., said separately that the ship was hijacked.
Twenty-five crew members were on board, including seven Greek nationals, 17 Filipinos and one Georgian, according to a statement from Greece's Enesel SA, which manages the ship.
All the appropriate authorities have been contacted and made aware of the situation, including the flag state and the counter-piracy coordination force, it said. It was referring to the European Union Naval Force Somalia, or Eunavfor, which confirmed the hijacking.
The vessel was headed to the U.S. Gulf Coast from Mina Al Ahmadi, Kuwait, according to the statement.
The very large crude carrier Irene SL has ceased all communications with its owners, according to Eunavfor.
Mohamad Al Shatti, manager for the office of the chief executive at Kuwait Petroleum Corp., denied reports by ship brokers that it had chartered the ship. The hijacked vessel was not chartered by KPC; there is no relation, he told Zawya Dow Jones.
Eunavfor said separately that Italian-flagged oil tanker MV Savina Caylin was hijacked 670 nautical miles east of Socotra Island in the Indian Ocean in the early hours of Tuesday.
The vessel, which has a deadweight of 104,255 metric tons, was on passage from Sudan to Malaysia when it was attacked, it said.
Political unrest in Egypt in recent weeks has led to fears oil routes crossing the countryââ¬âincluding the Suez canalââ¬âcould be disrupted, pushing oil prices above $100 a barrel. But the transit through the North African country has so far suffered no disruptions.
