Iraq's oil ports have completely shut down following Iranian attacks on two oil tankers and energy facilities in the region.
Points of attention
- Iranian attacks on oil tankers and energy facilities have led to the complete shutdown of Iraq's oil ports, disrupting oil transportation in the region.
- Iraq has taken emergency measures to safeguard its oil ports and assets amidst escalating conflicts in the Persian Gulf.
Iraq shuts down oil ports after Iran attacks
This was announced by the Director General of the Iraqi Ports Company, Farhan al-Fartousi.
According to him, commercial ports continue to operate.
The channel reports that Iran has attacked two oil tankers in the Persian Gulf near the Iraqi port of Basra. At least one person was killed in the attack, while 38 others were rescued.
The State Oil Marketing Organization of Iraq (SOMO) said that the tankers Safesea Vishnu, flagged by the Marshall Islands, and Zefyros, flagged by Malta, were attacked, Bloomberg notes.
According to the Indian Embassy in Baghdad, an Indian national was killed in the attack on board the Safesea Vishnu, and the remaining 15 Indian crew members have been evacuated to safety.
SOMO noted that the incident "negatively affects the security and economy of Iraq."
In addition, ships were also ordered to leave the Mina Al Fahal oil terminal in Oman as a precautionary measure. The port was reopened a few hours later, and operations and loading are now proceeding as normal, the Gulf Mercantile Exchange reported.
However, the evacuation in Mina Al-Fahal, located outside the Strait of Hormuz, demonstrates how the conflict is expanding and threatening the few ports from which oil from the Middle East can still be shipped, writes Bloomberg.
Iranian drones also hit fuel tanks at the Omani port of Salalah. The port has since suspended operations at its container and cargo terminals. Other ports in the country, including Duqm, are continuing to operate as normal.
Attacks on naval vessels have increased markedly in recent days, with six attacks on ships in the Persian Gulf since Wednesday as the vital waterway, the Strait of Hormuz, has become the focus of a war with Iran.
The British service UK Maritime Trade Operations reported that the ship was hit by an unknown projectile north of Jebel Ali in the UAE on Thursday.
The virtual blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea corridor through which about a fifth of the world's oil is transported, has forced Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia to reduce production.
