By Yomna Ehab, Muhammad Al Gebaly and Enas Alashray
March 30 (Reuters) – Iran attacked a fully-loaded crude oil tanker at Dubai Port’s anchorage on Monday, setting it ablaze and damaging its hull, Kuwait’s state news agency reported, citing Kuwait Petroleum Corp, which warned of a possible oil spill.
The apparent strike is just the latest in a string of assaults on merchant vessels by missiles or explosive air and sea drones in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.
U.S. crude futures CLc1 rose more than $3 or 2.9% to $105.91 a barrel on news the Kuwait-flagged Al-Salmi tanker had been attacked.
Authorities in Dubai confirmed they were responding to a drone attack on a Kuwaiti oil tanker in Dubai waters and that maritime firefighting teams were working to bring the fire under control. No injuries have been reported, and the safety of all 24 crew members has been secured, they said.
Work is underway to accurately assess damage to the tanker, said KPC, which according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence data is the parent company of the vessel’s registered owner and commercial operator.
Iranian officials could not be immediately reached for comment.
Earlier on Monday, a Greek-owned container ship located off the coast of Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura reported two separate incidents where projectiles hit water near the vessel, maritime security experts said.
A representative from the Liberian-flagged Express Rome reported two unknown projectiles splashing into the water near the container ship approximately 22 nautical miles (40.7 km) northeast of Ras Tanura at 1352 GMT. The incidents occurred within one hour of each other and the crew was reported safe, British maritime risk-management group Vanguard said.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps previously claimed to have attacked the Express Rome on March 11, Vanguard said.
The operator of Express Rome did not immediately comment.
No group has claimed responsibility for the strike on the oil tanker or the projectiles.
(Reporting by Muhammad Al Gebaly, Menna Alaa El Din, Elwely Elwelly, Yomna Ehab, Jonathan Saul and Lisa Baertlein; Editing by Tomasz Janowski, Matthew Lewis and Michael Perry)
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