Oil Tanker Evades Gunfire Along Most Important Crude Route

Armed men on a skiff fired shots at an oil tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important trade route for crude shipments.

Unidentified attackers fired twice with an assault rifle at the Aframax tanker Album at about 2:15 p.m. local time yesterday, said Abdul Shahid Khashan, acting security officer at the vessel’s owner Arab Marine Petroleum Transport Co. The attackers, who appeared to be fishermen, probably weren’t seeking to hijack the Album, which evaded the attack, he said.