5th Mar 2026 02:47
(Alliance News) - A tanker was hit by a "large explosion" in waters off Kuwait, causing an oil spill, British maritime security agency UK Maritime Trade Operations said Thursday, as the US-Iran-Israel war paralysed Gulf shipping.
Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have said they had "complete control" of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial chokepoint into the Gulf and one of the world's most vital shipping routes for energy.
"The Master of a tanker at anchor, reports witnessing and hearing a large explosion on the port side then seeing a small craft leave the vicinity" off the Gulf state's Mubarak Al-Kabeer area, UKMTO posted on X.
"There is oil in the water coming from a cargo tank which could have some environmental impact".
Kuwait's interior ministry said the blast happened "outside Kuwaiti territorial waters", at least 60 kilometres from Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port.
Chinese shipping giant Cosco, which operates one of the world's biggest oil tanker fleets, announced it was suspending services to and from Gulf countries from Wednesday, including Kuwait.
source: AFP
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