An oil tanker off the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah has suffered an explosion after being hit by “an external source”, a shipping company said, suggesting the latest in a series of attacks on vessels in the kingdom amid its years-long war in Yemen, The Guardian reports.
The Singapore-flagged BW Rhine saw all 22 sailors on board escape without injury after the attack on Sunday, December 13, the BW Group said in a statement. The company warned it was possible some oil leaked out from the site of the blast.
Saudi Arabia did not immediately acknowledge the blast at the Red Sea port that is a crucial component of its oil industry. However, it comes after a mine attack last month that damaged a tanker off Saudi Arabia that authorities blamed on Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations, which is part of the British royal navy, urged ships in the area to exercise caution and said investigations were ongoing.
Dryad Global, a maritime intelligence firm, also reported the blast. No one immediately offered a cause.
The explosion comes after a mine exploded and damaged a ship off Saudi Arabia last month and another targeted a cargo ship off the small port city of Nishtun in Yemen’s far east earlier this month. Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have used sea mines before in their long war against a Saudi-led coalition. However, the Houthis have not commented last month’s attack.
