Tanker explosion reported near Kuwait, UKMTO reports oil spill amid ongoing Mideast war

A tanker was hit by a "large explosion" in waters off Kuwait, causing an oil spill, British maritime security agency UKMTO said Thursday, as the US-Iran-Israel war paralysed Gulf shipping.

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have said they had "complete control" of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial chokepoint into the Gulf and one of the world's most vital shipping routes for energy.

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"The Master of a tanker at anchor, reports witnessing and hearing a large explosion on the port side then seeing a small craft leave the vicinity" off the Gulf state's Mubarak Al-Kabeer area, UKMTO posted on X.

"There is oil in the water coming from a cargo tank which could have some environmental impact".

Kuwait's interior ministry said the blast happened "outside Kuwaiti territorial waters", at least 60 kilometres (37 miles) from Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port.

Chinese shipping giant Cosco, which operates one of the world's biggest oil tanker fleets, announced it was suspending services to and from Gulf countries from Wednesday, including Kuwait.