Iran attacked a fully-loaded crude oil tanker at Dubai Port’s anchorage on Monday (Mar 30), setting it ablaze and damaging its hull, Kuwait’s state information company reported, citing Kuwait Petroleum Corp, which warned of a potential oil spill.
The obvious strike is simply the newest in a string of assaults on service provider vessels by missiles or explosive air and sea drones within the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz for the reason that US and Israel attacked Iran on Feb 28.
US crude futures rose greater than US$3 or 2.9 per cent to US$105.91 a barrel on information that the Kuwait-flagged Al-Salmi tanker had been attacked.
Authorities in Dubai confirmed they have been responding to a drone assault on a Kuwaiti oil tanker in Dubai waters and that maritime firefighting groups have been working to convey the hearth beneath management.
No accidents have been reported, and the security of all 24 crew members has been secured, they mentioned.
Work is underway to precisely assess injury to the tanker, mentioned KPC, which based on Lloyd’s Checklist Intelligence information is the father or mother firm of the vessel’s registered proprietor and industrial operator.
Iranian officers couldn’t be instantly reached for remark.
Earlier on Monday, a Greek-owned container ship situated off the coast of Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura reported two separate incidents the place projectiles hit water close to the vessel, maritime safety consultants mentioned.
A consultant from the Liberian-flagged Categorical Rome reported two unknown projectiles splashing into the water close to the container ship roughly 40.7km northeast of Ras Tanura at 1.52pm GMT (9.52pm, Singapore time).
The incidents occurred inside one hour of one another and the crew was reported protected, British maritime risk-management group Vanguard mentioned.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps beforehand claimed to have attacked the Categorical Rome on Mar 11, Vanguard mentioned.
The operator of Categorical Rome didn’t instantly remark.
No group has claimed duty for the strike on the oil tanker or the projectiles.
