Five small boats believed to be manned by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy fired warning shots across the bow of the Singapore-registered tanker the Alpine Eternity in the Persian Gulf yesterday, CNN reported, citing an unnamed US official.
The incident took place in international waters just off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
According to media reports, warning shots were fired by Iranian boats in “an attempt to potentially stop” the Alpine Eternity. It is as of yet unclear whether or not the cargo vessel was hit.
The UAE has sent three coast guard boats to assist the Alpine Eternity.
According to Marine Traffic, the Alpine Eternity is a 183-meter long oil and chemical tanker with gross tonnage of 29,130. It was built in 2009.
A number of incidents in which cargo ships boats have come into contact with Iranian boats have been reported over the past weeks.
In April, Iranian patrol boats in the Strait of Hormuz fired across the bridge of the Maersk Tigris, a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship. The incident came just several days after several Iranian boats “encircled and threatened” a US-registered vessel, the Maersk Kensington.
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