Two foreign tankers loaded with Iraqi fuel oil were attacked in Iraqi waters, according to an Iraqi port authority representative and a port security official. The vessels were identified as the Marshall Islands-flagged Safesea Vishnu and the Malta-flagged Zefyros. Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for the attack on the Safesea Vishnu, stating it was a US-owned tanker that ignored warnings.
At least one person was killed in the attack, a port security official said, while Farhan al-Fartousi, director general of Iraq's general company for Ports, reported that 25 crew members from the two vessels were evacuated and are safe. Fires are still burning on both ships, al-Fartousi added. It is not yet clear who is behind the attack on the Zefyros or what weapons were used.
Additional oil tankers were set on fire in the Persian Gulf overnight to Thursday, leading to emissions of greenhouse gases and toxins, according to sources. A fully loaded Kuwaiti oil tanker was attacked by Iran off Dubai, UAE, on Tuesday night, sustaining material damage to its hull with a risk of oil leakage, but no injuries, according to Kuwait's state-owned oil company KPC. An oil tanker was fired upon by two patrol boats from Iran's Revolutionary Guard near the Strait of Hormuz northeast of Oman, but the tanker and crew escaped unharmed, the captain reported via UKMTO.
I promise an investigation into the attack on the port of Salalah.
Iran's military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaqar of the Khatam al-Anbiya defense command stated on state TV that all US or Israeli ships, or ships carrying oil for them, are legitimate targets. Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz and set fire to ships trying to pass, saying they will not let a 'liter of oil that serves the US and its allies pass through Hormuz' and that all ships must have permission. Iran's military also warned that if Iranian ports and docks are threatened, all ports and docks in the region will be legitimate targets for retaliation.
A spokesperson for Iran's military command warned oil could hit $200 per barrel. Shipping in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz has come to a near-standstill since US and Israel strikes on Iran on 28 February, and Iran has laid mines in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a source. Iran announced the Strait of Hormuz is closed again, citing continued US blockade of Iranian ports, while US military forces forcibly seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that tried to bypass a naval blockade near the strait on Sunday.
At least 14 attacks on ships in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz have occurred in the past two weeks, though some reports cite at least 16 attacks since the Iran crisis erupted, and at least 17 commercial ships attacked since 28 February. Three ships were attacked near or in the Strait of Hormuz, flying flags of Thailand, Japan, and Marshall Islands. The Revolutionary Guards admitted to attacking the Thai-flagged ship; three crew are missing and 20 were rescued.
We are sailing over a ball of fire.
An oil tanker was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen's coast on Saturday. The hijacked vessel is the Eureka, flying a Togolese flag, and was near Shabwa province before being steered toward Somalia, according to the Yemeni coast guard and Marine Traffic data. There are no signs that the hijacking is linked to the US-Israel-Iran conflict.
According to The Independent, Captain Rahman Al-Jubouri's crew has reduced from 27 to 17 due to fear. The port of Salalah in Oman was attacked, hitting an oil facility and causing a fuel storage fire, confirmed by British security company Ambrey. No one was injured, and Oman's civil defense reported it will take time to control the fire.
Iran's President Pezeshkian spoke with the Sultan of Oman, who condemned the attack on the port and other attacks on Omani territory. President Pezeshkian promised an investigation into the attack. Oil prices surged above $100 per barrel, though crude prices hovered just above $90/b on Thursday, having stabilized from a $120/b high on Monday.
The Panama Canal saw a slight increase in vessel transits due to the fuel crisis from the Strait of Hormuz closure, according to deputy administrator Ilya Espino de Marotta. A massive explosion under the Bridge of the Americas in Panama killed one person and injured two, temporarily closing the bridge. The explosion was caused by a fuel tanker truck in the La Boca area, according to the Panama fire brigade and firefighter chief Victor Alvarez.
Panama Canal operations continue as normal.