Angola’s state oil company, Sonangol, has reported an incident involving one of its oil tankers, the Sonangol Namibe, while it was anchored at Khor Al‑Zubair in southern Iraq, waiting to load oil.
According to early reports, a small, localised explosion happened on the ship’s deck on Thursday, March 5. The tanker is sailing under the Bahamas flag and is part of the Stena Sonangol Suezmax Pool.
The good news is that everyone on board is safe. No crew members were injured, and the vessel is stable and still under control.
Sonangol said its safety procedures were activated right away after the incident. Experts are now carrying out technical checks on the ship. The company is also working closely with local maritime authorities and technical teams to understand what happened.
For now, Sonangol Trading & Shipping says it is closely monitoring the situation and staying in constant contact with the relevant authorities while further inspections and evaluations continue.
