LONDON, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Attacks on two oil tankers of the United Arab Emirates in the Strait of Hormuz have left two seafarers dead and 14 more injured, based on updated information from the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The IMO said two seafarers were killed and three others injured on the tanker Al Bahyah while 11 mariners on the tanker MOMBASA B sustained injuries. The crew of MOMBASA B abandoned the vessel. Both attacks occurred about 13 nautical miles off the coast of Oman.
ADNOC Logistics & Services, the shipping arm of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, said on Tuesday that two crude oil tankers operated by the company were struck by projectiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps has confirmed that two super oil tankers, which it said were "misled by American provocations," were struck and disabled after deliberately ignoring repeated warnings.
"We are gravely concerned by the latest attacks on shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz reported since last night, which have claimed the lives of at least two seafarers and injured several others," an IMO spokesperson told Xinhua.
"The IMO wholly condemns these attacks. The cycle of escalation must end. These actions carry profound human costs and consequences that will be felt across the region and far beyond its borders," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson called on all parties to exercise restraint, avoid further escalation and return to dialogue, urging them to choose a path that protects the lives of seafarers and upholds the freedom of navigation.
According to IMO statistics, 56 attacks on ships have been confirmed in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict in late February, resulting in the deaths of 17 seafarers.
Fresh U.S. airstrikes and Iranian retaliation have plunged Washington and Tehran back into open conflict less than a month after signing a 14-point memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war. The Strait of Hormuz has once again become the main flashpoint. ■