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Two Iraqi port officials told Reuters that a Panama-flagged tanker carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi fuel oil was struck by a drone in Iraqi territorial waters on Wednesday. A fire broke out aboard the New Andros following the strike at around 6 a.m. local time. Iraqi rescue boats moved quickly to extinguish the flames, according to the officials. There were no reports of casualties among the crew of 22, and the officials said the vessel did not sustain major damage.
The incident occurred in the ship-to-ship transfer area near Basra, where cargo is often moved between vessels at sea, a security source informed Shafaq News. The source confirmed that the tanker was loaded with crude oil products and that the attack caused a fire but no injuries to personnel. This marks at least the third such drone-related incident involving tankers in Iraqi waters this year.
Shafaq News reported a similar drone strike on July 16 that targeted the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Supreme Prosperity while berthed at Basra Oil Port. No casualties or damage were reported in that event. In March, two tankers came under attack approximately 30 miles off the Iraqi coast, leaving one person dead and several others injured, according to the same outlet.
The latest strike takes place against a backdrop of escalating maritime tensions in the Gulf region. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced on Wednesday that a maritime restricted area would extend from Chabahar in Iran into parts of the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, Reuters reported. The move follows recent comments by Iranian officials regarding the establishment of restricted zones outside the Strait of Hormuz.
UKMTO reported that several merchant vessels in the northern Gulf and Gulf of Oman had been hit by disabling fire during military activity overnight, Al Arabiya said. The agency added that it was unable to confirm any casualties or environmental impact from those events. A separate UKMTO alert mentioned a vessel sighted listing at anchor 24 nautical miles from Port Rashid in the United Arab Emirates, possibly after being struck by an unknown projectile.
