Armed boarders briefly seize tanker Asphalt Princess off UAE in foiled hijacking

On August 3, 2021, roughly eight to nine armed men boarded the Panama-flagged asphalt tanker Asphalt Princess about 60 nautical miles east of Fujairah, UAE, in the Gulf of Oman, in what UK Maritime Trade Operations called a 'potential hijack.' The crew reported disabling the engines to thwart the hijackers, who directed the vessel toward Iranian waters. By August 4, the boarders had left the ship and UKMTO declared the incident complete, with the vessel and crew safe. The US State Department said it believed the personnel were Iranian without formal confirmation; Iran's Revolutionary Guard denied any involvement.