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Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said a giant Kuwaiti crude oil tanker was attacked early Tuesday by an Iranian drone while anchored near Dubai Port in the United Arab Emirates, raising fears of a potential oil spill.
The company said the tanker, Al Salmi, came under attack at 12:10 a.m. local time (2010 GMT Monday) while carrying a full load of crude oil.
According to a statement carried by the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), the attack caused material damage to the hull of the tanker and triggered a fire aboard the vessel.
Kuwait Petroleum initially warned of a possible oil leak into the surrounding waters.
Dubai’s Media Office later said no injuries were reported and all 24 crew members aboard the tanker were safe.
Dubai authorities said response teams “successfully contained the incident,” adding that no oil spill was reported.
The oil-rich Gulf has borne the brunt of Iran's attacks in response to U.S.-Israeli strikes that sparked the Middle East war late last month.
Tehran has threatened to target vital infrastructure across the Gulf, including energy facilities.
The latest update from Dubai authorities came after Kuwait Petroleum earlier warned of a possible oil leak into surrounding waters.
Oil futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose over 3% following the news and were trading at $106.05 a barrel at 2337 GMT.
Brent crude was trading at $115.35 a barrel at 2306 GMT, up 2.57%.
Regional escalation has continued since Israel and the United States launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing over 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting U.S. military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.
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