Tanker hit

Tanker anchored off Kuwait takes on water following a "large explosion"

By Jack Guy

A tanker ship anchored off the coast of Kuwait has taken on water after an explosion, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), an organisation that monitors maritime security.

The ship was at anchor 30 nautical miles southeast of Kuwait’s Mubarak Al Kabeer governorate, said the UKMTO in a statement, adding that the ship’s captain reported “witnessing and hearing a large explosion on the port side, then seeing a small craft leave the vicinity.”

Although the vessel has taken on water, there are no fires and the crew are safe and well, it added.

The report comes after Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced that it had hit what it said was an American oil tanker in the northern Persian Gulf, and Iranian media outlets have also posted video footage that purports to show the incident.