Pirates Board Crude Tanker Near World’s Most Critical Oil Passage

Unidentified armed men have boarded a Hong Kong-flagged oil tanker off the coast of Iran near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a British monitoring organization and a private intelligence firm reported. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization said the vessel was boarded on April 14 while anchored just off the Iranian coast in the Sea of Oman, but added that the ship was later released. The organization urged vessels in the area to "stay vigilant." Dryad Global, a private maritime intelligence firm, said it was unclear whether the…