Attack on vessels in the Persian Gulf; a sailor on an oil tanker near Dubai was killed

Attack on vessels in the Persian Gulf; a sailor on an oil tanker near Dubai was killed

🔸Hours after reciprocal attacks between Iran and the United States in the Middle East, multiple reports have been released about commercial vessels and oil tankers being targeted in the region, leaving at least one person dead.

🔸Iraqi officials on Wednesday, 18 Shahrivar, announced that an oil tanker carrying about two million barrels of Iraqi heavy fuel oil was targeted by a drone attack in the territorial waters of the country.

🔸Two Iraqi port officials told Reuters that after the oil tanker “New Andros,” flying the flag of Panama, was targeted by the attack at about 6:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday in Iraqi waters, a fire broke out on the tanker.

🔸These officials added that no report of casualties among the tanker’s 22 crew members had been published.

🔸The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations says several commercial ships in the northern part of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman were targeted during the military clashes on Tuesday night between Iran and the United States.

🔸Meanwhile, the company “Peninsula,” the charterer of the oil tanker “Hercules Star” flying the flag of Gibraltar, announced on Wednesday that a seafarer was killed in an incident that occurred while this tanker was anchoring near Dubai.

🔸In a statement, the company said: “With the utmost sadness and regret, we confirm that one person has lost their life.” The company did not provide any details about the cause of the sailor’s death.

🔸The statement added: “In addition, one crew member is missing and a specialized team is working to find him. The status of the other crew members is known.”

🔸Based on initial assessments by maritime security sources, it is likely that the tanker was targeted by a drone attack.

🔸Read the full report on the Radio Farda website.