Blast Strikes Crude Oil Tanker Sonangol Namibe Near Iraqi Port

A blast struck the crude oil tanker Sonangol Namibe near Iraq's Khor al Zubair port, likely breaching its hull. The vessel was approached by an unknown small boat before the explosion. It wasn't carrying cargo and remains stable. The tanker was en route to load oil under a contract with Iraq's SOMO.

A crude oil tanker, Sonangol Namibe, flagged by the Bahamas, sustained a potential hull breach after an explosion hit it while anchored at Iraq's Khor al Zubair port, according to Sonangol Marine Services.

The incident occurred at 0120 local time on March 5, as an unidentified small vessel approached the tanker, shortly before a loud bang was reported, the company stated.

The tanker, not carrying cargo at the time, is stable with no pollution reported. Contracted with Iraq's SOMO, it was heading to load 80,000 metric tons of fuel. Iranian forces separately reported hitting a U.S. tanker in the Gulf.

(With inputs from agencies.)