By Gareth Vipers

Two oil tankers were on fire after colliding in the Gulf of Oman, as the conflict between Israel and Iran entered its fifth day and continued to rattle energy markets.

The incident occurred approximately 17 miles off the coast of the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah near the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday, a spokesman for Frontline, which owns one of the vessels, said.

Norway-based Frontline said the collision was due to navigational issues and not related to the current conflict in the region.

The U.A.E. coast guard said it had evacuated 24 people from the two ships, the Liberian-flagged Front Eagle and the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged Adalynn.

Tensions in the region have been heightened since Israel and Iran launched a series of attacks on each other late last week. While the fighting has yet to directly impact the global shipping industry, electronic interference with ship navigation systems has surged in recent days around the Strait and the wider Gulf region.

Research firm Kpler said in a note to clients that several crude-oil carriers have experienced electronic interference with their navigation systems.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the busiest shipping corridors in the world and provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean. An average of about 20 million barrels of crude oil and oil products transit the Strait each day.

On Saturday, Esmail Kowsari, a senior commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, warned that Iran is considering closing the Strait.

Greek and British maritime officials have already advised merchant ships to avoid the Strait.

Updates to follow as news develops.

Write to Gareth Vipers at gareth.vipers@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 17, 2025 08:38 ET (12:38 GMT)

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