A Bahamas-flagged crude oil tanker was struck by a blast early Thursday near Iraq’s Khor al-Zubair port, with the ship’s operator saying the hull may have been breached.
Two Iraqi port security sources toldAl Arabiyathat an Iranian remote-controlled boat loaded with explosives was used to target the vessel. The attack marks a significant development in what is now being treated as a deliberate strike and not an accident.
The vessel, Sonangol Namibe, was anchored at the port when a small, unidentified boat pulled up alongside it around 1:20 AM local time. Shortly after, the crew heard a loud bang. Sonangol Marine Services, the U.S. representative company for the tanker, said a port ballast tank appeared to be taking on water, pointing to some form of hull damage. The ship, however, remained stable and afloat as of the latest update.
There were no casualties reported among the crew. The tanker was not carrying cargo at the time. It had been contracted by Iraq’s state oil marketer SOMO and was waiting to load roughly 80,000 metric tons of Iraqi fuel oil.
An Iraqi security source confirmed the incident toAl Jazeera, saying a boat struck the tanker and caused an oil spill in the port area.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps separately claimed on Thursday that it had struck a U.S. tanker in the northern Gulf, saying the vessel caught fire. It is not immediately clear whether this refers to the same incident.
The attack rattled energy markets. Brent crude futures climbed nearly 4%, touching $84.73 per barrel, while WTI crude rose more than 2% to around $78 per barrel. The Khor al-Zubair area is a key transit point for Iraq’s heavy fuel oil exports, and any disruption there is closely watched by traders and shippers.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations office advised vessels in the area to stay alert and report any suspicious activity.
No group has yet officially claimed responsibility for the attack on the Sonangol Namibe. Investigations are still ongoing.
Source: World News in news18.com, World Latest News, World News
