Fire Reported On Vessel Near Iraq’s Al-Faw Port, Crew Status Remains Unknown

A vessel was reported on fire 63 nautical miles southeast of Al-Faw, Iraq, on Monday, October 26, with the crew’s condition, damage to the ship and environmental impact still unknown, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said.

UKMTO said it had received multiple third-party reports of the fire. The agency did not identify the vessel or give a cause for the incident. It classified the report as “suspicious activity” in a notice dated October 26.

The agency advised vessels to transit the area with caution and report any suspicious activity while the incident is investigated.

The fire was reported in the Gulf near Al-Faw, a port town in southern Iraq close to Kuwait and Iran. The area is part of the Middle East where several maritime security incidents have been reported.

UKMTO said it had not confirmed the condition of the crew, the extent of damage or any environmental impact at the time of its report.

The agency did not say whether the fire was caused by an attack, an accident or another factor. The vessel’s name, type and the time the incident occurred were also not provided in the supplied information.

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) recorded 120 vessel incidents in the Strait of Hormuz and the Middle East as of October 22, according to the supplied information.

A separate vessel named Soyia was attacked off Al-Faw on October 20, according to the IMO website.

Several ships have come under attack in the region since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late February.

Al-Faw lies on the Gulf near the approaches to Kuwait and Iran. Any confirmed disruption to shipping in the area could be relevant to vessels operating in regional waters, but the latest report does not establish that commercial traffic has been disrupted.

UKMTO has not released further details about the vessel or the cause of the fire. The crew’s status, damage assessment and possible environmental effects remain unknown.

References: arabnews, shipandbunker