DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Maritime security firms say a suspicious object was found on the hull of an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iraq.
According to the companies, officials are afraid that it could be a sluggish mine on the MT Pola, although the tanker with the flag of Liberia received help in the Persian Gulf outside Basra on Thursday.
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The two companies, Ambrey Intelligence and Dryad Global, say investigations are ongoing.
The British Marine Trade Operations, an organization under the British Royal Navy, says it is “aware of an ongoing situation” there, without expanding.
The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, which patrols the Middle East, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US. In 2019, the US blamed Iran for a series of soft mine attacks on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all the world’s oil passes. Iran denies involvement.