A tanker carrying approximately 2 million barrels of Iraqi fuel oil was struck by a drone in Iraqi territorial waters on Wednesday morning, according to port officials. The Panama-flagged oil tanker, New Andros, caught fire after the incident, but there were no casualties reported among its 22 crew members. The Iraqi Oil Ministry confirmed that the vessel, chartered by the Iraqi Oil Tankers Company, sustained minor hull damage and that there was no cargo leakage.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that several merchant vessels in the northern Gulf and Gulf of Oman experienced disabling fire during military activities overnight, though they could not confirm any casualties or environmental impacts.
In a separate incident, UKMTO noted a vessel listing at anchor 24 nautical miles from Port Rashid in the United Arab Emirates, suggesting it may have taken on water due to an unidentified projectile attack.
Additionally, Iran announced it had attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for the U.S. sinking five Iranian oil tankers, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing maritime conflict between the two nations.
