What happened to the New Andros tanker in Iraqi waters?

The Panama-flagged New Andros was hit by a drone in Iraqi territorial waters and caught fire around 6 a.m. on Wednesday. It was carrying about 2 million barrels of Iraqi fuel oil, and the 22 crew members were reported safe.

Oil tanker hit in Iraqi waters, as vessels get caught in US-Iran attacks

Q: Why were merchant vessels in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz being attacked?

UKMTO said vessels in the northern Gulf and Gulf of Oman were hit by disabling fire during military activity overnight. Iran said it attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. sank five Iranian oil tankers, describing it as the biggest declared wave of tit-for-tat attacks since the six-month-old war began.

Q: What other maritime incident did UKMTO report near the United Arab Emirates?

UKMTO said a vessel was sighted listing while at anchor 24 nautical miles from Port Rashid in the United Arab Emirates. It said the vessel may have taken on water after an attack by an unknown projectile.

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Summary

A tanker carrying about 2 million barrels of Iraqi fuel oil was struck by a drone in Iraqi territorial waters on Wednesday, port officials said. The Panama-flagged New Andros caught fire after the strike, and no casualties were reported among its 22 crew members. UKMTO said several merchant vessels in the Gulf were also hit by disabling fire overnight, and Iran said it attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. sank five Iranian oil tankers.

Key Facts

The fire aboard the New Andros broke out at around 6 a.m. on Wednesday after the tanker was hit in Iraqi waters.
The tanker was carrying about 2 million barrels of Iraqi fuel oil.
UKMTO said it could not confirm any casualties or environmental impact from the overnight attacks.
UKMTO separately reported another incident 24 nautical miles from Port Rashid in the United Arab Emirates, where a vessel was seen listing while at anchor.
Iran said it attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. sank five Iranian oil tankers.

By Reuters

Published Sep 9, 2026 9:32 pm KST

Drone view of oil tanker HELGA berthed at one of Iraq's southern offshore oil terminals near Basra, as it prepares to load crude oil, becoming the second vessel to arrive since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters-Yonhap

A tanker carrying about 2 million barrels of Iraqi fuel oil was struck by a drone in Iraqi territorial waters on Wednesday, port officials said, and British navy-affiliated UKMTO reported that several merchant vessels in the Gulf had been hit by disabling fire overnight.

A fire broke out aboard the Panama-flagged oil tanker New Andros after it was hit in Iraqi waters at around 6 a.m. on Wednesday, two Iraqi port officials told Reuters.

There were no reports of casualties among the 22 crew members, the officials added.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency had said earlier that vessels in the northern Gulf and Gulf of Oman were hit by disabling fire during military activity in the region overnight.

It added that it was unable to confirm any casualties or environmental impact.

Separately, UKMTO reported another incident on Wednesday, 24 nautical miles from Port Rashid, in the United Arab Emirates. It said a vessel was sighted listing while at anchor, possibly indicating it had taken on water following an attack by an unknown projectile.

Iran said on Wednesday it had attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. sank five Iranian oil tankers, in the biggest declared wave of tit-for-tat attacks on shipping by both sides since the start of the six-month-old war.

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