MSC container ship hit by explosion off Iraq as Gulf security fears widen

A Panama-flagged MSC container ship has been damaged by a large explosion off Iraq, raising fresh concerns over the safety of commercial vessels operating in the northern Arabian Gulf as regional tensions continue to disrupt shipping routes.

The vessel, reported to be the MSC Sariska V, was struck while transiting approximately 40 nautical miles southeast of Umm Qasr, Iraq, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which cited military authorities....