Footage from the Iraqi coast on Wednesday showed towering flames and thick black smoke spreading across the northern Persian Gulf. Two tankers carrying Iraqi fuel oil had been struck and set alight. One crew member was dead and 38 others had been pulled out by Iraqi port crews, port officials said, according to The Logical Indian. Authorities had not yet given the nationalities of those affected, and the search for anyone still missing went on.
The vessels were the Safesea Vishnu, flying the Marshall Islands flag, and the Maltese-flagged Zefyros. Farhan al-Fartousi, who leads the Iraqi General Company for Ports, said the attacks took place near Umm Qasr and al-Faw, both key export points in Basra province.
Iraq halts exports
By Thursday, March 12, Iraqi officials had suspended work at every oil export terminal in the country, at least for the time being. Commercial cargo ports kept running as normal. Iraq depends heavily on petroleum exports, which supply a significant share of national revenue and foreign exchange.
Iraq’s Security Media Cell called the attack a “serious violation of Iraqi sovereignty,” and officials described it as sabotage. Lieutenant General Saad Maan, an army spokesman, said Iraq “reserves the right to take legal action” against those responsible. Investigators have not said whether explosive-laden boats or other weapons were used.
Baghdad has asked for international protection of shipping routes. It argues that attacks inside its territorial waters threaten both regional and global economic stability.
A wider pattern
The strikes came while the Middle East conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel was already spilling into Gulf waters. According to maritime security sources and risk firms, at least five vessels were attacked on the same day, among them cargo ships and dry bulk carriers. Some carriers have stopped voyages or anchored at a distance, and insurers have suspended war-risk cover for ships in the region. About 20 per cent of the world’s oil supply moves through the Gulf.
Brent crude briefly rose above USD 100 per barrel, a level not seen since 2022. The United States authorised the release of 172 million barrels from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve, coordinated with the International Energy Agency, to steady supplies and calm prices.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has boasted of efforts to disrupt oil exports and warned that shipments linked to adversary nations could be targeted. The report does not say who carried out the Iraqi attack. Experts quoted by the outlet said the strikes, combined with tanker shortages and the blocked passage through the Strait of Hormuz, could cut further into an Iraqi output that has already shrunk sharply.
