Hijack Call From Tanker Off Iran Identified As a False Alarm

A hijack signal sent from a Panama-flagged petroleum products tanker off Iran was a false alarm, British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Wednesday.

Ambrey first reported the incident south of the busy Strait of Hormuz shipping lane on Tuesday without naming the "UAE-linked" vessel. It said it took place some 51 nautical miles northwest of the Iranian port of Bandar-e Jask.

It dubbed the incident a "false hijack distress call" on Wednesday, adding that it "understands that the vessel had previously conducted similar actions".

Ambrey said it believed the vessel was part of a "shadow fleet" of tankers used by Iran, noting a sister ship was on a sanctions list issued by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

(Reuters/Reporting by Elwely Elwely; writing by Ahmed Elimam; editing by Jason Neely)