Dubai: There are fears of a major oil spill after a giant Kuwaiti oil tanker were allegedly struck by Iran at the Dubai Port in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation claimed that a direct hit by Iran set the MT Al Salmi on fire. Kuwait’s state news agency KUNA reported that the tanker was fully loaded at the time of the incident.
The vessel sustained damage and an onboard fire broke out follow
ing the attack, the corporation said. No casualties have been reported so far, and an assessment of the damage is currently underway.
All 24 crew members aboard the tanker are safe and accounted for, Dubai authorities said. Firefighting operations were successful and emergency responders have brought the blaze under control, the Dubai Media Office said, as reported by timesnow.in.
TankerTrackers.com has said that MT Al Salmi was laden with 1.2 million barrels of Saudi crude and 800,000 barrels of Kuwaiti crude.
The situation remains critical due to the volume of crude oil onboard, which could pose environmental risks if a spill occurs, Kuwaiti officials said.
Authorities at the port are engaged in emergency operations, focusing on containing the fire and preventing further damage to the tanker and nearby areas.