An American tanker was blown up at an Iraqi port: a small vessel attacked

At the raid of the Iraqi port, an explosion occurred on one of the tankers. He was attacked by a small vessel.

"The Sonangol Namibia vessel, which has the flag of the Bahamas, allegedly received a hole in the hull after an explosion occurred while anchored near the Iraqi port of Khor el Zubair," Reuters reports with reference to the American company Sonangol Marine Services.

According to Equasis, it owns a 273-meter tanker that can carry 158 thousand tons of oil.

"At 1.20, a small vessel approached the port side of the tanker, and shortly after, a loud bang was heard," Sonangol Marine Services said in a statement. According to the American company, the crew reports a water leak from the ballast tanker from the port side, which indicates a hole in the hull, but the vessel remains stable and is safe afloat.

According to AIS data, the tanker continues to be on the roadstead of the Iraqi port and is empty.

"The tanker had a contract with the Iraqi state oil company SOMO and was heading to the Iraqi terminal to load 80,000 metric tons of Iraqi fuel," an Iraqi energy industry source and a ship agent told Reuters.

Before that, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it attacked an American tanker in the northern part of the Persian Gulf, and the vessel caught fire.