Two oil tankers were attacked in Iraqi waters on Wednesday night, with one of the tankers reportedly carrying more than 20 Georgian crew members. Reuters reported, citing different sources, that the attack appeared to be carried out by explosive-laden Iranian boats.
Media reports citing Iraqi port officials mentioned that tankers Safesea Vishnu and Zefyros were targeted in the attack.
The Indian embassy in Iraq stated that an Indian crew member on Safesea Vishnu, a US-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, was killed.
Zefyros is Malta-flagged and Greek-owned, according to the Greek outlet Kathimerini. The same outlet further reported that the tanker’s crew included Georgian members, estimating their number at 22. The Georgian service of RFE/RL put the number of Georgians on board at 23, noting that the captain was also Georgian.
The Georgian publication Batumelebi contacted the spouse of one Georgian crew member, who said that her husband and the other sailors are safe.
‘They are on land. Everyone is involved. We are waiting for the paperwork and passports to be sorted so they can return’, she told Batumelebi.
The State Oil Marketing Company (SOMO) of Iraq stated that both tankers were attacked in the ship-to-ship loading area within Iraqi territorial waters.
The exact number and nationalities of all crew members are unclear. However, Farhan al-Fartousi, Director General of the General Company for Ports of Iraq (GCPI), told Reuters that a boat belonging to the company rescued 25 crew members from the two vessels.
OC Media reached out to both the Georgian Foreign Ministry and the Maritime Transport Agency for clarification, but as of publication, neither had responded.
Shipping in the Gulf has been disrupted against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict between Iran and US–Israel forces since 28 February.
Iran has targeted several vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz, declaring that it will not allow oil bound for the US, Israel, and their partners to pass through the strait.
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