Major Explosion Strikes Tanker Off Kuwait, Oil Spills into the Sea

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - A tanker was hit by a ‘major explosion’ in waters off Kuwait. This caused an oil spill in the area.

The incident occurred as fighting raged in the Middle East following a US-Israel strike on Iran on Saturday that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. The Iranian military, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), then launched retaliatory attacks, including closing the crucial Hormuz Strait, one of the world’s most vital sea routes for oil and gas shipping.

Quoting AFP, Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards said they had ‘full control’ of the Hormuz Strait, a key gate to the Gulf and one of the world’s most vital energy shipping lanes. Any vessel daring to pass would be fired upon.

‘The captain of a tanker at anchor reported seeing and hearing a large explosion on the port side, then saw a small boat leave the area off the coast of Mubarak Al-Kabeer in the Gulf state,’ the UK maritime security agency, UKMTO, said on Thursday (5 March 2026) on X.

‘There is oil on the water originating from the cargo tanks that could impact the environment,’ it added.

Kuwait’s Interior Ministry said the blast occurred outside Kuwait’s territorial waters, at least 60 kilometres (37 miles) from Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port. Following the report, Chinese shipping giant Cosco, which operates one of the world’s largest tanker fleets, said it would suspend services to and from Gulf states from Wednesday, including Kuwait.