Baghdad: Iraq shut down its offshore oil terminals on Thursday following attacks on two tankers near its waters in the northern Gulf, as the West Asia crisis stretched into its 13th day.
“The operation of oil ports has been suspended, commercial ports continue operations,” Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported, quoting director general of the state-owned General Company for Ports of Iraq (GCPI) Farhan al-Fartousi.
The decision came after a tanker carrying petroleum products from the Iraqi State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO) to the Iraqi Oil Tankers Company was hit by an explosion during a Ship-to-Ship (STS) transfer near Al Basrah Oil Terminal (ABOT). Al-Fartousi noted that “one of the smaller tankers involved flies the Maltese flag.”
Teams, with naval units in the Shatt al-Arab (SDS) area, rescued 38 crew members but one seafarer died in the blaze. Firefighting tugs from Basra Oil Port tackled blazes on both vessels, while searches continue for missing crew.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) issued an “ATTACK” warning, reporting the incident five nautical miles south of Al Basrah in Iraq’s territorial waters. A company security officer confirmed two tankers were struck by unknown projectiles, causing fires, but all crew were evacuated safely. No environmental impact was reported.
UKMTO also noted a separate incident 35 nautical miles north of UAE’s Jebel Ali, where a container ship was hit by a projectile, sparking a small fire; all crew were safe.
GCPI operates key ports including Umm Qasr North and South, Khor Al-Zubair, and offshore oil terminals ABOT and Khor Al Amaya Oil Terminal (KAAOT), which handle most of Iraq’s crude exports.
The attacks follow escalating maritime tensions. Turkey’s Anadolu Agency alleged Iran targeted a tanker near Umm Qasr on Wednesday, with social media footage showing it engulfed in flames.
Earlier strikes included Iran’s March 1 drone attack on the Marshall Islands-flagged MKD VYOM off Oman, killing one crew member, and a small craft hitting the Bahamas-flagged Sonangol Namibe near Khor al Zubair.
India voiced concern over the Thai vessel Mayuree Naree, bound for India, being hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz. The Ministry of External Affairs said, “India deplores the fact that commercial shipping is being made a target of military attacks… the intensity and lethality of the attacks only seems to be increasing.”
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump discussed targeting Iranian mine-laying vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
