Iran oil tanker forced to seek repairs in Saudi port

An Iranian tanker was forced to seek repairs at a Saudi port after suffering “engine failure and loss of control”, the Iranian oil ministry’s SHANA news agency reported Thursday.

The rare docking in Iran’s regional arch-foe, came as Washington was poised to end all remaining exemptions to crippling sanctions on Iranian oil exports, a move strongly supported by the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia’s state-run television channels and news agency said authorities received a distress call from the Happiness I over an “engine failure and the loss of control.”

SHANA said that the incident began on Tuesday morning when the tanker issued a distress call.

“One of the National Iranian Tanker Company’s tankers, moving through the Red Sea towards the Suez Canal, failed to continue its path due to water leaking into its engine room,” it reported.

“With the coordination of the relevant officials, the ship was guided to Jeddah as the nearest safe port to fix the problem and take the necessary measures.”

SHANA identifed the tanker as the Happiness 1, with a crew of 26 — 24 Iranians and two Bangladeshis. The crew are safe and sound, it said. It did not specify whether the ship had continued on its way by Thursday or remained in port in Jeddah.

Saudi authorities said various government agencies were involved in the operation, including those who handle environmental protection. It did not elaborate on whether oil had spilled from the tanker.

The website TankerTrackers.com, whose analysts monitor oil sales on the seas, estimated the Happiness I carried at least 1.1 million barrels of fuel oil. It said the ship sailed in tandem with another smaller sister ship named the Sabiti.

The Happiness I stopped its engines Tuesday, then was shadowed by the Sabiti close enough to have its crew escape, TankerTrackers said. Two tugboats from Saudi Arabia appeared to have reached the ships, TankerTrackers said.

TankerTrackers said an oil leak was possible on the Happiness I, though it gave no details. SHANA quoted the tanker company as denying that the incident had caused any environmental damage.

“We cannot conclude what caused the leak, but given how abruptly things happened, it does seem like something surprised them otherwise we would have seen the vessels slow down or deviate in an attempt to avoid an incident,” the website said.

Saudi Arabia and Iran are chief Mideast rivals. Iran now faces increased pressure from the US over its oil sales after President Donald Trump pulled America out of its nuclear deal with world powers. Iran has warned it will respond aggressively to any attempt to cut its oil exports to zero, as the Trump administration has pledged to do.

In January 2018, the Iranian oil tanker Sanchi struck the Chinese freighter CF Crystal 257 kilometers (160 miles) off the coast of Shanghai in the East China Sea. The Sanchi, carrying nearly 1 million barrels of a gassy, ultra-light oil bound for South Korea, burst into flames. All 32 sailors on board were killed.