One person dead and  rescued at least 37 crew members and still looking for missing crew members.as 2 oil tankers attacked near Iraq amid Iran war

Early Thursday, two oil tankers were attacked and set on fire off the coast of Iraq, prompting the Iraqi authorities to suspend all operations at the oil terminals. The Iraqi government told the national news agency INA that "two tankers were subject to sabotage." The conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt the global energy supply.Iraq’s oil export authority said the two vessels were used by Iraq for its own oil transport. Senior Iraqi officials confirmed that one of the vessels, which flies the flag of the Marshall Islands, is owned by an American company. They also said that Iraqi officials believe the attack was carried out by Iran. The officials requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.

The vessels were targeted while off the coast 

Officials said authorities are still trying to understand why the vessels were targeted while off the coast, according to their Iranian counterparts. The ships in question were identified by Iraq's oil export authority as the Marshall Islands-flagged Safesea Vishnu (IMO 9327009, MMSI 538009517) and the Malta-flagged Zefyros.(IMO 9515917, MMSI 249351000) According to the State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO), the tankers were attacked while in a ship-to-ship transfer area.

Commercial ports remained functional

"Two oil tankers were subjected to a cowardly act of sabotage," said Lt. Gen. Saad Maan, head of the Iraqi Security Media Cell, in a statement published by Iraq’s state news agency. Farhan al-Fartousi, the director general of Iraq’s state-owned port company, informed the Iraqi News Agency that oil terminal operations were suspended due to the attack. He said that commercial ports remained functional.

 Related : Seven people : killed in attacks on ships in the Hormuz. - a 90% plunge in tanker traffic.

Still looking for missing crew members.

He said that one person was dead and that emergency officials had rescued at least 37 crew members. He added that firefighting tugs from the Basra Oil Port had been deployed to extinguish the fires on both tankers and that search-and-rescue teams were still looking for missing crew members.

Mr. al-Fartousi said the tankers were off the Iraqi coast. He added that the Maltese-flagged tanker, which was smaller than the other vessel, had been hit by an explosion. It was not immediately clear whether the explosion was caused by a direct strike or a waterborne explosive device.

Related : Cargo ship hit in Strait of Hormuz, crew evacuating -(UKMTO)

According to SOMO, the Zefyros was loaded with condensate products from the Basra Gas Company — a joint venture between the Iraqi government, Shell, and Mitsubishi — and was preparing to enter Khor Al Zubayr Port on Thursday morning.SOMO stated that the tanker had finished a transfer process with the other vessel and was about to load an additional shipment of naphtha, a petroleum product.

The registered owners of the two tankers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Early Thursday, a cargo ship was struck by unknown projectiles near Dubai, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a British security monitor. Omani authorities closed a key oil export terminal for security reasons.

Source : Agencies 
 #SOMO #Khor Al Zubayr Port #Safesea Vishnu # Gen. Saad Maan #Zefyros #Iraqi waters