S. Korean cargo ship rescues all crew members of Norwegian tanker in Gulf of Oman

A cargo ship owned by South Korean shipping firm Hyundai Merchant Marine Co. rescued all 23 crew members of the Norwegian tanker Front Altair, which was on fire in the Gulf of Oman, the Korean company said Thursday.

The Hyundai Merchant cargo ship, the Hyundai Dubai, received a distress call from the Norwegian tanker around 6:40 a.m. earlier in the day (local time) and approached the Front Altair.

All crew members of the Front Altair safely abandoned the tanker and were picked up by the 30,000-ton Hyundai Dubai with rescue boats, Hyundai Merchant said. 

This undated and non located handout picture released by Frontline Management AS on June 13, 2019 shows the Norwegian tanker Front Altair. - The 111,000-tonne oil tanker, a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, was "attacked" on June 13, 2019 morning in the Gulf of Oman, with three explosions but no injuries reported on board, the Norwegian Maritime Authority said. (AFP)

The rescue operation took 74 minutes, and the crew members were handed over to Iranian authorities, according to the company.

The Front Altair was on fire after three rounds of explosions were heard, Hyundai Merchant said.

The Norwegian tanker is one of two oil tankers that were hit by suspected attacks in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday.

(Yonhap)