According to major media, a tanker loaded with crude oil was attacked on Wednesday night off the Iraqi port of Khor al-Zubair. The attack resulted in a hole in the hull of the Bahamas-registered tanker Sonangol Namibe, but it is not in danger of sinking. , and one of the ballast tanks is leaking water, according to the crew on board.
Sonangol Marine Services reported that the small boat approached the port side of the tanker, and shortly after a loud bang was heard. Khor al-Zubair is located near the Iraqi city of Basra at the head of the Persian Gulf. In contrast, two Iraqi port security sources stated that an Iranian remote-controlled vessel loaded with explosives was used to target and cause damage to the Bahamas-flagged tanker Sonangol Namibe anchored in Iraqi territorial waters.
Sources also said the small vessel exploded after hitting the tanker, and this was the first attack recorded within Iraq's exclusive economic zone, representing an escalation of threats to commercial ships in the Gulf. Iran's Revolutionary Guards stated earlier that they struck a US tanker in the northern part of the Gulf and that a fire broke out on the ship. The extent of the damage to the Sonangol Namibe beyond the reported hole and water leak is not known.
It is unclear if there is any connection between this attack and the earlier reported strike by Iran's Revolutionary Guards. The attack occurred in a region where tensions have been high.