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Norwegian tanker Front Altair still afloat after reported attack: owner

By AFP
June 13, 2019

OSLO: Norwegian tanker Front Altair was still afloat after a reported attack in the Gulf of Oman Thursday, the chief executive of the company that owns the vessel told AFP, denying reports it had sunk.

"I can confirm that the vessel has NOT sunk," Frontline chief executive Robert Hvide Macleod wrote in a text message to AFP.

The 23 people who were on board were "all safe", he added.

Iran´s official news agency IRNA had previously reported that the Front Altair had sunk.

The 111,000-tonne oil tanker, a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, was "attacked" on Thursday morning in the Gulf of Oman, with three explosions but no injuries reported on board, the Norwegian Maritime Authority said.

Frontline provided no other details. According to the Norwegian Maritime Authority, the ship´s crew had boarded a passing vessel.

Norwegian authorities called on its ships in the region to exercise extra caution in the region, and "to stay well clear of Iranian waters until further notice."