National Iranian Tanker Co. (NITC) reported on October 11 that two explosions had occurred on one of its Suezmax tankers, the Sabiti. It denied reports that the impact had sparked a fire but said that the vessel had been damaged, “probably by missile hits,” while sailing through the Red Sea offshore Saudi Arabia.
The incident did cause oil to spill from the Sabiti, which was carrying about 1 million tons of crude oil at the time of impact. NITC said, though, that it had been able to stop the leak quickly.
Meanwhile, the head of the company told reporters that the tanker was changing course and would leave the area. “[We] will shift the oil tanker course to exit the Red Sea,” said Nasrollah Sardashti, NITC’s managing director.
State-controlled Iranian press agencies have speculated that the incident may have been a terrorist attack.