MUSCAT: An official source with the Maritime Security Centre (MSC) in Oman said within the framework of joint maritime action and the existing coordination between the MSC of the Sultanate of Oman and other maritime security centres in the region, the MSC continues to follow up the incident of the ship Asphalt Princess which occurred in international waters.
The source told the Moral Guide that the Royal Air Force of Oman (Rafo) is carrying out sorties close to the incident scene.
For its part, the Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) dispatched a number of its vessels to pitch in with securing the international waters.
The source affirmed the MSC’s commitment to contribute to securing maritime navigation in the area.
The MSC previously received information that the Panama-flagged tanker Asphalt Princess experienced a hijacking incident i international waters in the Sea of Oman.
The boarding took place in an area in the Arabian Sea leading to the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for about a fifth of the world's sea-borne oil exports.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said in a warning notice based on a third-party source on Wednesday that people who had boarded a tanker involved in a "potential hijack" had since left and that the vessel, which it did not identify, was safe.
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