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sef, CNBC Indonesia
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Friday 01/12/2024 05:30 WIB
Photo: Iran captures American oil tanker in Strait of Hormuz (Hasan Shirvani/Mizan News Agency via AP)
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The maritime situation in the Arab region is becoming increasingly heated. In the latest update on Friday (1/12/2024), Iran reportedly captured an oil tanker, believed to be carrying United States (US)-approved crude oil.
This happened off the coast of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s navy said this was in retaliation for the “theft” of its oil from the same tanker last year by the United States.
“The Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran has seized an American oil tanker in the waters of the Gulf of Oman in accordance with a court order,” the official IRNA news agency said. AFP.
“The seizure is in retaliation for violations committed by the Suez vessel Rajan… and for the theft of Iranian oil by the United States,” he added.
The announcement came just hours after Britain’s Naval Maritime Safety Agency (UKMTO) said gunmen had boarded the Greek-owned Marshall Islands-flagged ship St Nikolas off the coast of of Oman. The ship then changed course to Bandar-e Jask in Iran.
“Four or five unofficial passengers reportedly wore black military-style uniforms with black masks,” UMKTO said.
The same report was also released by Ambrey, a British company specializing in maritime risks. It is said that a group of people boarded the St Nicholas and covered the ship’s cameras.
“A security guard reported hearing unknown voices on the phone,” Ambrey said.
Greece-based tanker management company Empire Navigation said communications with the vessel had been lost. It is known that the ship was carrying 19 crew members, including 18 Filipinos and one Greek.
The vessel was loading 145,000 tons of crude oil in Basra, Iraq. The plan is for Kappa to go to Aliaga in Turkey via the Suez Canal.
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The United States condemned what it called an illegal seizure. Washington called on Iran to immediately release the ship and its crew.
“The Iranian government must immediately release the ship and its crew,” US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters.
“This illegal seizure of a commercial vessel is just the latest behavior by Iran or one implemented by Iran with the aim of disrupting international trade,” he added.
Iran itself was sanctioned by the United States, which crippled the country’s economy. Uncle Sam punished Iran again in 2018 when Donald Trump became president, withdrawing from a historic nuclear deal in 2018, then targeting Iran’s oil and petrochemical sales in an effort to reduce exports Tehran’s energy sources.
Suez Rajan seizure
Iran’s action refers to retaliation for the US seizure of the Suez vessel Rajan in September 2023, which was carrying 980,000 barrels of crude oil. The US Department of Justice claimed at the time that the oil on the Greek-operated tanker was allegedly sold by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to China.
Shortly after the seizure, Iran seized two oil tankers, the Marshall Islands-flagged Advantage Sweet as it sailed to the United States in the Gulf of Oman and then the Greek-owned Niovi as it traveled from Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE ) in Fujairah.
The Gulf of Oman is the main oil industry route separating Oman and Iran, in the middle of which lies the Strait of Hormuz. Over the years the region has witnessed a series of hijackings and attacks, often involving Iran.
Currently, the delivery of goods in areas rich in natural resources is also on high alert. This follows weeks of drone and missile attacks in the Red Sea carried out by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels in a show of solidarity with Gaza.
Gaza, a Palestinian enclave, has been under continuous bombardment by Israel since October 7. As of this Friday’s update, nearly 23,500 victims have died, mostly women and children.
The Houthis have said they will continue to attack Israeli-linked ships until the attacks cease. In December they called for a more violent attack until humanitarian aid was blocked in Gaza.
Oil prices could burn
On the other hand, oil prices also risk “burning” due to this tension. Goldman Sachs oil research head Daan Struyven said global oil prices could rise by 20% to 100% if this conflict spreads to the Strait of Hormuz.
“The Red Sea is a transit route and prolonged disruption there, the price of oil could be three or four dollars higher,” he said. Oil price.
“However, if there was a disruption in the Strait of Hormuz for a month, (oil) prices would rise by 20% and could even double if the disruption lasted longer,” he added.
According to the Energy Information Agency (EIA), the Strait of Hormuz is a major conduit through which about a fifth of the world’s oil production flows every day. The waterway is a strategically important waterway, connecting crude oil producers in the Middle East with key markets around the world.
Last November, the World Bank predicted that oil prices could rise to as much as $157 a barrel if the conflict spread to the region. This refers to a repeat of the 1973 Arab oil embargo, when Arab energy ministers imposed a boycott of oil exports against the United States in retaliation for its support of Israel in the 1973 Arab-Israeli War.
“In such a scenario, a severe disruption scenario could occur that would initially push prices by 56% to 75% – between $140 and $157 per barrel,” the report said.
Watch the video below:
Video: UK says it is ready to attack Yemen’s Houthis
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2024-01-11 22:30:00
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