Fire Reported on Tanker off the Coast of Iraq

UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has reported a fire aboard a vessel in the Iraqi exclusive economic zone of the Arabian Gulf, the latest incident believed to be linked to the U.S.-Iran war - and further evidence that the effects of the conflict are spreading outwards from the Strait of Hormuz.

UKMTO said that it had received multiple reports of a ship on fire at a position about 60 nautical miles to the southeast of Al-Faw. The organization had no further details on the vessel's status.

Security consultant Brett Erickson of Obsidian Risk Advisors noted that this was the 10th suspected Iranian strike on a ship since the start of this month, and interpreted the pattern as a sign of escalation. In September, Iranian ship strikes were concentrated in and around Hormuz, but Al-Faw is hundreds of miles away to the northwest - and outside of the umbrella of U.S. air protection in the strait.

Erickson also noted that the strikes are growing more serious in nature, and the hits are now heavy enough that they are often disabling ships rather than simply damaging them. One container ship was even sunk last week, a rare occurrence in a war with lots of damage and relatively few total losses.

This story was originally published by The Maritime Executive. Read the full story at The Maritime Executive →