Tanker left gushing oil into sea after ‘large explosion’ | World | News
The UK Merchant Marine Operations (UKMTO) Center said a tanker suffered a ‘massive explosion’ on its side and oil was seen gushing from the ship into Persian Gulf waters off the coast of Kuwait.
According to UKMTO, reports were received late on Wednesday, March 4, of an incident south-east of Mubarak Al Kabeer, Kuwait.
“The captain of an anchored tanker reported that he witnessed and heard a large explosion on the port side and then saw a small boat leaving the vicinity,” the UKMTO statement said. The statement was included.
Make sure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us your Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as a Preferred Source in your Google search settings.
“There is oil in the water coming from the cargo tank,” the statement continued, adding that the ship was “taking on water.” Water filtered through oil does not burn and the entire crew is responsible.
As for the marine environment, the oil spill is likely to cause “some environmental impact.” UKMTO added that authorities were investigating.
Vessels in the vicinity are “advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO”.
The update follows a series of incidents in the Persian Gulf and surrounding waters, namely the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
UKMTO also reported on Wednesday a tanker containing “debris from an unknown projectile” off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, 10 nautical miles east of Fujairah.
UKMTO said: “The tanker suffered a large explosion and fragments of an unknown shell were found on deck. There was minor damage to the tanker’s funnel but no major damage was observed.”
The maritime agency added that all crew were safe and in good condition.
On Sunday, UKMTO reported that another ship was struck by an unknown shell 50 nautical miles north of Oman’s capital Muscat. The attack caused a fire in the ship’s engine room to be quickly brought under control.
This is the second incident reported by UK maritime on Sunday; An earlier incident occurred on Sunday off the coast of Oman’s Kumzar village in the Strait of Hormuz.
An oil tanker that was hit while trying to pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz sank, Iranian state television said on Sunday.
