Kuwait Oil Tankers Company
Kuwait's state tanker operator, founded 1957, owned by Kuwait Petroleum Corporation
One of the company's supertankers, the Al Funtas, was hit by a projectile on the evening of 28 September 2026, inside the strait of Hormuz. It was sailing with its transponder switched off and filed no report of the strike.
Last refreshed: 1 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Timeline for Kuwait Oil Tankers Company
Al Funtas is struck and files no report
Iran Conflict 2026Background
Kuwait Oil Tankers Company, shortened to KOTC, is Kuwait's state shipping Arm. It was founded in 1957 to carry the country's oil exports and is wholly owned by Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, the state energy holding company. It is based in Kuwait City, carries crude oil, refined products and liquefied petroleum gas, and runs bunkering services alongside. Its fleet has stood at around 32 vessels, among them very large crude carriers, product tankers and gas carriers.
It has been a casualty of regional war before. The company lost much of its fleet capability during Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait and rebuilt afterwards, which is why a state tanker operator rather than a private one carries so much of the country's export trade.
That ownership is what puts it in this conflict. Kuwait has raised oil output while the strait of Hormuz stays disrupted, so a state-owned fleet keeps sailing water where ships are being struck and where no attacker is being identified. Each hull it loads is a commercial asset and a piece of national exposure at the same time.
Who owns Kuwait Oil Tanker Company?
What does KOTC do?
Which Kuwaiti tanker was struck in the Strait of Hormuz?
Why did the Al Funtas strike go unreported?
