Bahamas-Flagged Oil Tanker Hit By Blast Near Iraqi Port, Hull Breach Suspected

Last Updated:March 05, 2026, 16:37 IST

A blast was triggered near a Bahamas-flagged oil tanker at Iraq's Khor al-Zubair port - with its hull likely breached. The crew is safe and the ship remains afloat.

A Bahamas-flagged crude oil tanker was struck by a blast early Thursday near Iraq’s Khor al-Zubair port, with the ship’s operator saying the hull may have been breached.

The vessel, Sonangol Namibe, was anchored at the port when a small, unidentified boat pulled up alongside it around 1:20 AM local time. Shortly after, the crew heard a loud bang. Sonangol Marine Services, the U.S. representative company for the tanker, said a port ballast tank appeared to be taking on water, pointing to some form of hull damage. The ship, however, remained stable and afloat as of the latest update.

There were no casualties reported among the crew. The tanker was not carrying cargo at the time. It had been contracted by Iraq’s state oil marketer SOMO and was waiting to load roughly 80,000 metric tons of Iraqi fuel oil.

An Iraqi security source confirmed the incident to Al Jazeera, saying a boat struck the tanker and caused an oil spill in the port area.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps separately claimed on Thursday that it had struck a U.S. tanker in the northern Gulf, saying the vessel caught fire. It is not immediately clear whether this refers to the same incident.

The attack rattled energy markets. Brent crude futures climbed nearly 4%, touching $84.73 per barrel, while WTI crude rose more than 2% to around $78 per barrel. The Khor al-Zubair area is a key transit point for Iraq’s heavy fuel oil exports, and any disruption there is closely watched by traders and shippers.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations office advised vessels in the area to stay alert and report any suspicious activity.

No group has officially claimed responsibility for the attack on the Sonangol Namibe. Investigations are ongoing.

(with inputs from agencies)

News world Bahamas-Flagged Oil Tanker Hit By Blast Near Iraqi Port, Hull Breach Suspected

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