UK maritime firm says incident east of UAE's Khor Fakkan is not security-related
British maritime security firm Ambrey said early on Tuesday the cause of an incident 22 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates, near the Strait of Hormuz, was not security-related.
It didn't provide any details about the incident.
The event unfolded as tensions escalated between Israel and Iran, with the two nations exchanging attacks for a fifth consecutive day after Israel's widescale strikes on Friday aimed at preventing Tehran from building an atomic weapon.
The Strait of Hormuz lies between Oman and Iran and links the Gulf north of it with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond.
About a fifth of the world's total oil consumption passes through the strait. Between the start of 2022 and last month, about 17.8-million to 20.8-million barrels of crude, condensate and fuels flowed through the strait daily, according to data from Vortexa.
There was no immediate response to Reuters' request for comment from the Emirati foreign ministry or Khor Fakkan container terminal in the early hours on Tuesday.

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IOL News
4 hours ago
- IOL News
Will SA bear the cost of Eskom's R257bn air quality compliance?
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The revelations came as Eskom's chief executive, Dan Marokane, and Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy, Samantha Graham-Mare, faced tough questions from MPs over the utility's financial constraints, its slow transition to cleaner energy, and the devastating health impacts of coal pollution on communities. Eskom has already spent R3bn on emission reduction projects, with another R15.6bn allocated over the next five years. But this is a drop in the ocean compared to what is needed. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading Marokane admitted that while Eskom currently met SO² and nitrogen oxide limits, post-2030 regulations present an existential threat. The utility's proposed 'compromise' solution — focusing on SO² reductions at Kusile and Medupi, along with particulate matter upgrades at six other stations — would still require R77bn in capital and R2.1bn per year in operational costs. But even this plan is in jeopardy. Only R15.6bn has been budgeted for emissions projects over the next five years — far short of what's needed. Perhaps the most damning admission came from Deidre Herbst, Eskom's Senior Manager for Environment, who revealed that retrofitting the aging coal fleet for full compliance could take up to 14 years and more than R257bn — only for many of these plants to be decommissioned shortly afterward. 'Given the time frames, refitting most plants would be imprudent, constituting fruitless and wasteful expenditure,' Herbst said. Several power stations — Matla, Duvha, and Kriel — will shut down before flue-gas desulfurisation (FGD) plants can even be installed. Others, such as Lethabo, Tutuka, Matimba, and Kendal, will close shortly after FGD completion. 'Majuba and Matimba are in sparsely populated areas, limiting the health impact and cost benefit,' Herbst said — an utterance that drew sharp criticism from MPs who accused Eskom of downplaying the health risks to rural communities. MPs did not hold back in their criticism. DA MP Nico Pienaar demanded answers on why R40bn was being spent on diesel generation — money that could instead fund FGD plants. 'What happens if the new FGD plant isn't built and diesel turbines aren't closed, as per the World Bank agreement?' he asked. The DA's Sune Boshoff was even more scathing: 'Gauteng looks terrible when the wind blows. Is Eskom not wasting money on upgrading structures that won't exist much longer?' She slammed the projected 10% tariff hike to fund compliance, asking why alternative technologies and international funding were not being aggressively pursued. The EFF's Moses Kennedy pressed Eskom on whether independent health impact assessments had been conducted near Kendal, Matla, and Duvha stations, where residents suffer from chronic respiratory illnesses. Herbst admitted that while health benefits from cleaner stoves had been studied, power station health assessments were still lacking. Eskom's much-touted Just Energy Transition (JET) also came under fire. The state-owned utility's air quality offset programme — meant to provide cleaner energy alternatives to 96 000 households in Mpumalanga — has reached only 5 500 homes so far. Herbst claimed the rollout would accelerate, but MPs remained sceptical. Meanwhile, Northern Cape representatives Henri van den Berg (FF+) and Patricia Mabilo (ANC) pushed for green hydrogen and ammonia projects, arguing that they could create jobs. Deputy Minister Graham-Mare revealed that the EU had pledged €7bn for energy transition projects, including aviation sector decarbonisation. But with coal-dependent regions such as Mpumalanga facing massive job losses, MPs questioned whether the transition was truly 'just'. Marokane hinted at a controversial solution: nuclear energy. 'Most countries are building nuclear,' he said, suggesting that South Africa's Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) should reconsider its stance. 'Nuclear stimulates economies and industrialisation.' Yet, with Eskom's finances in shambles and R50bn earmarked for new technologies — including a Medupi FGD plant — the feasibility of nuclear expansion remained doubtful. Eskom's dilemma is clear: Spend R257 billion to comply with air quality laws, raising tariffs by 10%. Risk 22 GW of shutdowns if they don't comply, plunging SA into darkness. Face public outrage over health impacts and job losses in coal regions. As Deputy Minister Graham-Mare admitted, 'This is about balancing interests with limited resources.' 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IOL News
11 hours ago
- IOL News
Escalating tensions: Iran-Israel war latest news and developments
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IOL News
14 hours ago
- IOL News
Denel's turnaround strategy shows promise as it seeks foreign contracts
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Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Although he did not go into detail on the retrenchments, the presentation to the committee indicated that Denel has completed the initial Section 189 process and filed critical vacancies. 'Further Section 189 process is going to be initialised,' reads the presentation. Monaheng told the MPs that Denel has lots of debtors and that debt was still a challenge. 'Even when we make money, the creditors take the money, while the banks demand their payments. It makes it difficult for us to execute the turnaround strategy,' he said, adding that their debts were four to five years old. 'When they threaten us with liquidation, we prioritise them. It hampers our progress.' In its presentation, Denel said it was looking to secure new revenue streams, improve management, commercial skills, and governance, as well as to source other funding sources, including the collection of outstanding debtors such as Armscor. 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