Basra terminal, Iraq, briefly suspended oil loadings after a drone hit an oil tanker, Iraqi oil and security sources told Reuters.
The incident, occurring Thursday 16 July, did not cause damage or a fire, and although it isn’t clear who launched the drone, the head of Iraq’s state oil marketer SOMO, Ali Nazar, states that the incident was not a direct attack on the terminal or vessels.
Speaking to Reuters, Nazar comments: ‘It is not targeting Basra Oil Terminal. Its target is another place. Loading is at normal rates depending on the vessels’ availability.’
As a precautionary measure, the tanker was towed outside of the port. Iraq is OPEC’s second largest producer of oil. It’s southern terminals, including Basra, have been majorly affected due to the Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
