--- title: "Video Showing Damaged Norwegian Tanker Emerges After Reported Gulf “Sabotage” Attacks (Updated)" description: "Video has emerged showing damage to the Norwegian-flagged oil tanker Andrea Victory following a purported \"sabotage\" attack on multiple oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. The ship's owner, Singapore-headquartered Thome Ship Management, said the ship was never in danger of sinking and the exact circumstances of the incident remain murky. All of this comes amid continues U.S. government claims that it has intelligence that Iran or its proxies could strike out at its interests in the region, or those at its allies, including targeting commercial shipping." date: "2019-05-13" modified: "2019-05-13" authors: - name: "Joseph Trevithick" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/joseph-trevithick" url: "https://www.twz.com/27973/video-showing-damaged-norwegian-tanker-emerges-after-reported-gulf-sabotage-attacks" categories: - "Air" - "Around The Globe" - "Carriers" - "Europe" - "Middle East" - "Navies" - "News & Features" - "Nimitz Class" - "Northern Europe" - "Sea" - "Search And Rescue" - "U.S. Navy" - "UAE" - "USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)" tags: - "Andrea Victory" - "Iran" - "Middle East" - "naval mines" - "Oil Tanker" - "persian gulf" - "sabotage" - "Saudi Arabia" - "Strait of Hormuz" - "Thome Ship Management" - "UAE" - "USS Abraham Lincoln" - "USS Arlington" - "USS Kearsarge" --- # Video Showing Damaged Norwegian Tanker Emerges After Reported Gulf “Sabotage” Attacks (Updated) ![]() *www.twz.com* Video has emerged showing damage to the Norwegian-flagged oil tanker *Andrea Victory* following [a purported "sabotage" attack]() on multiple oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. The ship's owner, Singapore-headquartered Thome Ship Management, has confirmed the damage, but said the ship was never in danger of sinking and the exact circumstances of the incident remain murky. All of this comes amid continues U.S. government claims [that it has intelligence]() that Iran or its proxies [could strike out]() at its interests in the region, or those at its allies, including targeting commercial shipping. The clip, seen in the Tweet below, appeared online on May 13, 2019, but its origin is unclear and it is undated. The video shows a hole torn in the rear of *Andrea Victory*'s hull along the waterline. The tanker is one of four ships that UAE authorities [claim suffered attacks]() near the Port of Fujairah, situated some 85 miles south of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the day before. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, so far, and the UAE and Saudi Arabia have not accused any particular entity of having carried them out or otherwise supported the saboteurs. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1127907041970982912 "The master of MT *Andrea Victory* reported the crew were unharmed but there was a hole in the hull area of the aft peak tank," Thome said in its statement. "The ship is not in any danger of sinking." There was no reportedly leak of any oil and most modern tankers have double-walled hulls specifically to help prevent this after suffering any significant damage. The aft peak tank itself is a ballast tank rather than an oil storage tank. There is still no information, or even claims, as to how the damage to *Andrea Victory* occurred specifically. From the video, it certainly looks as if a [mine]() or [improvised explosive device]() of some kind could have been responsible, though Thome's statement simply described whatever hit the ship as an "[unknown object]()." Some have suggested that divers could have placed a limpet mine on the ship's hull. There have also been [anti-ship missile attacks]() on military ships in the Red Sea on the other side the Arabian Peninsula and other attacks on commercial tankers [in that region]() may have involved rocket-propelled grenades. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1127940181217169408 Saudi Arabia has also identified its tankers *Amjad* and *Al Marzoqah* as being involved in the incident near Fujairah, while the identity of the fourth ship remains unknown. Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al Falih said the damage to his country's two ships was "significant," but there are no pictures or video to independently verify this claim. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1127820905495846913 https://twitter.com/\_/status/1127824282191581185 Though none of the affected parties has pointed the finger at any particular actor, the incident comes amid a spike in tension between Iran and both the United States and its regional competitors, such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which *The War Zone* has been following very closely and that you can read about more [here]() and [here](). On May 9, 2019, the U.S. Maritime Administration [had issued an alert]() specifically warning about the increased potential that Iran or its proxies could launch attacks of military or commercial ships in the Persian Gulf, as well as the Red Sea and [the Mandeb Strait](). It is important to note that similar warnings about potential threats to commercial shipping from Iranian proxies in the region have come from U.S. and other international shipping authorities with some regularity [since at least 2016](). Still, this latest combination of reported threats and warnings has fueled new speculation that Iran, or one of its many regional partners, may have been responsible for this latest incident off the coast of the UAE, though there is no hard evidence yet to support those claims. There *are* some parallels to [a series of attacks]() on Saudi oil tankers [in the Red Sea]() in 2018, which Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for. A picture of the Saudi tanker *Arsan* after one reported attack in July 2018 showed damage to the rear hull, but above the waterline. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1022489505041924098 After those attacks, reports emerged that an Iranian cargo ship, M/V *Saviz*, linked to the country's powerful quasi-military Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, might have been [actively supporting those raids]() and perhaps even acting as a mother ship for [manned speed boats]() or [unmmanned explosive-laden watercraft](). The *Saviz* was already tied to weapons smuggling into Yemen to support the Houthis and the Trump Administration sanctioned it by name [in November 2018](). As of January 2019, this ship was still operating in the Red Sea. ![message-editor%2F1557761307911-speedboats.jpg]() *An image Saudi Arabian authorities released in 2018 showing speed boats on the upper deck of the Iranian cargo ship M/V *Saviz* that could be used for smuggling or attacks on ships., *Government of Saudi Arabia** https://twitter.com/\_/status/1082719828228612096 For its part, Iranian authorities have decried the Fujairah attacks as "worrisome and dreadful" and called for an investigation into the incident, which a spokesman for the country's Foreign Ministry, Abbas Mousavi, said could "have \[a\] negative impact on maritime transportation security." At the same time, it's important to note that some of the first reports about this new incident came from Lebanon-based [Al Mayadeen]() television, an outlet [reportedly funded by]() Iran and a cousin of Syrian dictator Bashar Al Assad, a major Iranian ally in the region. The outlet is known for taking stances supportive of Iran, the [Lebanese militant group Hezbollah](), which receives funding and other support from Iran, and the Assad regime. Al Mayadeen [initially reported]() that the attacks had set between seven and 10 oil tankers on fire and that explosions had damaged port facilities ashore, as well. [Iranian media]() widely [amplified this report](), before the UAE denied these claims, countering with the statement that only four ships had suffered any damage. Of course, this is hardly the first time there have been [confusing and conflicting reports]() about attacks on ships in the region in which there are at least circumstantial ties to Iran. Details surrounding a Houthi attack on a UAE ship off the coast of Yemen [in 2017]() remain virtually non-existent and information about the exact scale of the attacks on tankers in the Red Sea last year [is extremely limited](). The obvious concern now is, with tensions already rising in the region by the day, that some sort of misstep or miscalculation could lead to outright conflict between Iran and the United States, along with its allies. The attacks near Fujairah notably come as the *Nimitz*-class aircraft carrier [USS *Abraham Lincoln*]() and the rest of her Carrier Strike Group (CSG) are heading toward the Persian Gulf. The [USS *Arlington*](), a *San Antonio*-class landing platform dock amphibious ship is also heading toward the region to join the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS *Kearsarge* and other elements of her Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), including portions of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. All of these ships are likely to be on particularly high alert following these attacks on commercial oil tankers. ![message-editor%2F1557763178559-5333978.jpg]() *A Marine from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Group mans a .50 caliber M2 machine gun on a Humvee on the deck of the USS *Kearsarge* as a force protection measure as the ship heads through the Strait of Hormuz on May 7, 2019., *USN** *The War Zone* will certainly continue to keep a close eye on the situation and update our coverage as more information becomes available. ***UPDATE: 2:00pm EST—*** The UAE has asked the U.S. government for assistance in investigating the attacks near Fujairah and the Pentagon has said the United States agreed to send a team, although it is unclear if this means these individuals will be members of the U.S. military. "Experts will look at damage patterns, try to recover any material from the site, and calculate any launch point locations if they determine some kind of missile or weapon hit the ships," according to CNN's Barbara Starr. https://twitter.com/\_/status/1127961168902008833 https://twitter.com/\_/status/1127986998051069959 ***UPDATE: 4:50pm EST—*** Spain [has announced]() that it's *Álvaro de Bazán*-class frigate ESPS *Méndez Núñez*, which is sailing as part of the USS *Abraham Lincoln*'s Carrier Strike Group, will not join the rest of those ships in entering the Persian Gulf. It is unclear whether or not this is a product of a risk assessment by Spanish authorities, a desire on Madrid's part to avoid the potential of being caught in the midst of rising U.S.-Iran tensions, or some combination of both. The *Méndez Núñez* will remain in the region in order to rejoin the *Lincoln* if and when the carrier exits the Persian Gulf to continue the rest of its scheduled cruise. The Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is supposed to conduct operations in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific before returning home. *Contact the author:* [*jtrevithickpr@gmail.com*]() ## Author Joseph is *TWZ’s* Deputy Editor, helping to oversee the site’s highly experienced and dedicated team, while also writing informative and impactful defense and national security content. He lives right in the thick of it in the Washington, D.C. area. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Bluesky]()