Gard has assumed the role of lead insurer for the hull coverage of the oil tanker Front Eagle, which was involved in a fire following a collision with another tanker near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. The company confirmed its position to The Insurer and advised that any additional inquiries should be directed to either Front Eagle’s owner or its protection and indemnity insurer.
According to the International Group vessel directory, the protection and indemnity insurance for Front Eagle is handled by Steamship Mutual. Reports from industry sources indicate that Gard holds a 27.5% share in the insurance program for Front Eagle, although the exact insured value of the vessel remains unconfirmed.
The Front Eagle, flagged in Liberia, was built in 2020 and measures 336 meters in length with a cubic capacity of 325,324 cubic meters. The incident occurred in the Gulf of Oman when Front Eagle collided with the oil tanker Adalynn early on Tuesday morning, resulting in both vessels catching fire.
Fortunately, the owner of Front Eagle, Oslo-listed Frontline, reported that all personnel onboard were safe and that no pollution has been detected following the fire. The company stated that swift actions were taken to extinguish the flames.
At the time of the incident, Front Eagle was transporting 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude oil and was en route to Zhoushan, China, as per monitoring service TankerTrackers.com. Additionally, recent reports indicate an increase in electronic interference affecting commercial ship navigation systems in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding areas, which naval forces have linked to reports of interference emerging from Iran.
As of now, there has been no official comment from Iran regarding the collision or the electronic disruption. Steamship Mutual and Frontline have not immediately responded to requests for comments.