Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Friday they struck an oil tanker sailing under the Togolese flag in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the state news agency IRNA.
"The Togo-flagged oil tanker 'Trend' had been targeted and detained after a fire broke out on board," the statement said © Mena Today
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Friday they struck an oil tanker sailing under the Togolese flag in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the state news agency IRNA.
Tehran has imposed an effective blockade of the strait since the United States and Israel struck Iran in late February. Iran wants to charge tolls for passage and has been attacking ships it accuses of attempting to circumvent its preferred route.
"The Togo-flagged oil tanker 'Trend' had been targeted and detained after a fire broke out on board," the statement said, referring to an attempted "illegal passage" through the vital waterway.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) announced Thursday a "security incident in the Strait of Hormuz, 16 nautical miles (29.6 km) northeast of Khasab, Oman." UKMTO did not provide details about the vessel involved, and it is unclear whether it is the same ship mentioned by the Revolutionary Guards.
Why Togo's flag keeps appearing in these incidents
Togo has little to do with the vessel beyond its name on the stern. The West African country operates what is known in the shipping industry as an "open registry," or flag of convenience: a system under which foreign shipowners can register their vessels under the Togolese flag, follow Togolese maritime regulations, and pay registration fees, without the ship ever calling at a Togolese port or having any Togolese ownership, crew or operational link to the country.
Togo's registry has in fact been administered for years not from Lomé, but from private registrar offices based in Lebanon and Greece.
This arrangement, similar to registries run by Panama, Liberia or the Marshall Islands.
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