Luanda, Mar. 5, 2025 (Lusa) - The Sonangol Namibe oil tanker, flying the Bahamian flag, was hit on Thursday while anchored near the Iraqi port of Khor al Zubair, a source at the Angolan state oil company confirmed.

The incident caused only material damage to the hull, with one of the ballast tanks being hit; it did not contain oil, as the vessel was not yet loaded, the same source told the Lusa news agency.

According to a statement released by Sonangol, the ship was in service with Stena Sonangol Suezmax Pool, a joint venture between the Angolan oil company and Sweden's Stena Bulk, and preliminary reports indicate a localised explosion on deck while the vessel was awaiting loading operations.

“The entire crew is safe, with no injuries reported. The ship remains stable and under operational control,” said Sonangol Trading & Shipping, adding that “the planned safety procedures were promptly activated, and additional technical assessments are underway, in coordination with local maritime authorities and the relevant technical entities.”

According to international press reports, the tanker was approached by a small, unknown vessel at 1:20 a.m. local time today, and a loud bang was heard shortly afterwards.

The tanker had a contract with Iraq's state oil company, SOMO, and was heading to an Iraqi terminal to load 80,000 metric tons of Iraqi fuel, an Iraqi source and a shipping agent said.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard said on Thursday that it had hit a US tanker in the northern part of the Gulf and that the ship was on fire.

RCR/ADB // ADB.

Lusa