An oil tanker carrying about two million barrels of Iraqi fuel oil was targeted in a drone attack in Iraqi territorial waters early Wednesday, causing a fire and minor damage to its hull, Iraqi officials said.
Two Iraqi port officials told Reuters that the Panama-flagged New Andros caught fire after being struck while operating in Iraqi waters. The vessel had 22 crew members on board, with no injuries reported.
Iraq’s Oil Ministry later said the tanker, which was being used to store fuel oil and chartered by the Iraqi Oil Tankers Company, was hit by an unidentified source. The ministry said the attack caused minor damage to the vessel’s hull but did not result in any oil leakage into the water. All crew members were reported safe.
The incident came as the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that several commercial vessels in the Gulf were subjected to gunfire during military activity in the region overnight from Tuesday into Wednesday, forcing the vessels to stop.
The attack adds to growing security concerns surrounding commercial shipping in Gulf waters amid the wider military confrontation in the region.
