Kuwaiti oil tanker hit by Iranian drone in Dubai
Al Salmi, carrying a full crude oil load, sustained hull damage after a suspected Iranian drone strike in Dubai’s anchorage; authorities say no oil spill occurred.
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation announced that a giant Kuwaiti crude oil tanker, Al Salmi, was attacked early on Tuesday by an Iranian drone while positioned in the anchorage area of Dubai Port in the United Arab Emirates.
It said the tanker came under attack at 12:10 am local time (2010GMT on Monday).
The vessel was carrying a full load of crude oil at the time of the incident, it added.
According to a statement carried by the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), the attack caused material damage to the hull of the tanker and triggered a fire aboard the vessel.
Kuwait Petroleum warned of a possible oil leak into the surrounding waters.
Dubai’s Media Office said no injuries had been reported and that all 24 crew members aboard the tanker were safe.
Dubai authorities said response teams “successfully contained the incident,” adding that no oil spill was reported.
The latest update from Dubai authorities came after Kuwait Petroleum earlier warned of a possible oil leak into surrounding waters.
Oil futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex) rose more than 3 percent following the news and were trading at $106.05 a barrel at 2337GMT.
Brent crude was trading at $115.35 a barrel at 2306GMT, up 2.57 percent.
Regional conflict has continued to escalate since Israel and the US launched a joint offensive on Iran on February 28, so far killing more than 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.