Tanker Hit in Iraqi Waters Amid U.S.-Iran Ship Strikes

[Financial News] As the United States and Iran continue attacks targeting each other’s vessels, a large tanker caught fire after being struck by a drone in Iraqi territorial waters.
According to foreign media reports on the ninth local time, the Panama-flagged tanker New Andros was attacked that morning while carrying about 2 million barrels of fuel oil in Iraqi territorial waters.
The attacked vessel caught fire, but no casualties were reported among its 22 crew members.
Iraq’s Ministry of Oil confirmed in a statement that “the vessel chartered by the Iraqi Oil Tanker Company (IOTC) and used for storage sustained minor damage in an unidentified attack.”
Reports of attacks on vessels in the Gulf also emerged one after another that day.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), under the Royal Navy, reported that multiple merchant vessels came under fire the previous night in the northern Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, leaving them unable to operate. A vessel near Port Rashid in the United Arab Emirates was also found listing after apparently being struck by an unidentified projectile.
Iran announced that it had attacked 10 vessels near the Strait of Hormuz that day. It said the attacks were retaliation for the United States sinking five of its tankers and represented the largest-scale vessel assault since the war began.


[email protected] International Affairs Specialist Lee Seok-woo Reporter