Al-Salmi, a Kuwait-flagged very large crude carrier, had crossed the Strait of Hormuz at the end of February and was among the several ships in anchorage zone of Dubai’s port, waiting to exit the Persian Gulf amid the ongoing Iran-US war. However, the oil tanker was set ablaze after it came under an attack from Iran on Tuesday, a development that marked a major escalation in the ongoing war.
While the Kuwait Petroleum Corp. earlier expressed fears of a possible oil spill due to the strike, the Dubai authorities later clarified that there was no spill and no injuries due to the Iranian attack. Follow live updates on Iran-US war here.
Here’s what we know so far:
Oil tanker’s Hormuz passage: Al-Salmi, the Kuwaiti carrier, reportedly crossed the Strait of Hormuz back in late February reaching Saudi Arabia’s Khafji port to pick up some barrels. According to news agency Reuters, the tanker then sailed onward to Kuwait’s Mina Al Ahmadi for another cargo, before moving, fully laden, to the United Arab Emirates. It had been off Dubai since.
Waiting to exit Persian Gulf: According to Bloomberg, the oil tanker was in the anchorage area of the Dubai port at the time of the attack, just 31 nautical miles northwest of the emirate and in an area packed with ships waiting to exit the Persian Gulf. The strike took place just after midnight local time, sparked a fire and led to a damage of the hull.
2 million barrels of oil aboard: The Kuwait Petroleum Corp. is Al Salmi’s registered owner and commercial operator. According to Reuters, the carrier was loaded with 2 million barrels of oil from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and was headed to Qingdao, China.
Fire put out, crew safe: Al-Salmi had 24 crew members on board who were all reported safe following the attack. The Dubai authorities also said that the fire caused by the strike was put out and no oil spill was reported.
Explosions heard in Dubai: Hours after the attack on the Kuwaiti tanker, explosions were heard in Dubai, news agency AFP reported. Besides, the UAE authorities said that they were responding to missile threats. However, there was no direct link reported between the tanker attack and the fresh missile threat on Tuesday.
Trump’s ‘obliterate’ warning to Iran
The Iranian attack on the oil tanker near Dubai came after US President Donald Trump issued a fresh warning to Iran, saying the US would “blow up and obliterate” its energy infrastructure, including the Kharg Island, if a deal to end the ongoing conflict was not arrived at “shortly”.
Even as reports of possible negotiations between the two sides continue, threats and attacks from both Iran and the US-Israel are continuing. On Tuesday, an attack was reported in Iran’s Isfahan and a US official told the Wall Street Journal that bunker buster bombs were dropped on a large ammunition depot in the Iranian city. Meanwhile, sirens and sounds of blasts were also reported in Jerusalem, with the Israeli military saying they were engaging with missiles.
The US-Iran war recently completed one month and uncertainty looms over the future of when the conflict would end.
