The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation says an Iranian attack on the giant Al-Salmi oil tanker at the Dubai Port has caused a fire, warning that it could lead to an oil spill.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre, run by the British military, said the attack on Al-Salmi happened 31 nautical miles (57 kilometres) northwest of Dubai just after 1am local time (20:20 GMT).
The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), the vessel’s registered owner and commercial operator, said the attack caused a fire on board the ship and that there was “material damage to the ship’s hull”.
It also added that the giant tanker was fully loaded at the time of the incident and that it was possible oil could spill into surrounding waters.
According to the Dubai Media Office, firefighters were still responding to the blaze and that all 24 crew members were safe.
The Al-Salmi can carry a deadweight of 319,660 tonnes, according to Maritime Optima, making the ship a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), the second largest category.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has told Al Jazeera that President Donald Trump “always prefers diplomacy”, but warned Iran of “real consequences” over the partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier, France requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council in response to the killing of three UN peacekeepers in Lebanon in the past 24 hours.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Jordan’s King Abdullah II have slammed Iranian attacks on regional civilian infrastructure following a summit in the city of Jeddah.–Al Jazeera
