An explosion damaged a Greek-managed tanker at a Saudi Arabian terminal on the Red Sea just north of the Yemeni border, the ship’s manager said on Wednesday, in an attack confirmed by Saudi Arabia, Trend reports citing Reuters.
In a statement published by state media, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen said a commercial vessel suffered minor damage from shrapnel in what it described as a foiled terrorist attack.
British maritime security company Ambrey said earlier that the Maltese-flagged tanker Agrari, managed by TMS Tankers, was damaged by a mine while berthed at the al-Shuqaiq Steam Power Plant (SSPP).
A TMS company source told Reuters: “I can’t confirm what exactly the cause was. It is possible [that it was from a mine], certainly it was a blast. We have nobody injured, there is no spill or pollution. The ship is in good condition, everyone is ok.”
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) separately said it was aware a vessel had experienced an explosion at Shuqaiq in Saudi Arabia while operating at an oil-fired power plant there. It said investigations were ongoing.
The Agrari is an aframax crude oil tanker, data on TMS Tankers website showed.
The blast follows a number of recent security incidents concerning Saudi oil infrastructure.
Yemen’s Houthi group on Monday claimed a strike on a Saudi Aramco petroleum products distribution plant in Jeddah. Aramco and Saudi authorities confirmed the attack.
Two weeks ago, a fire near a floating platform belonging to the Jazan oil products terminal was contained with no injuries.
That fire was the result of another attempted Houthi attack, in which the Saudi-led coalition intercepted and destroyed two explosive-laden boats in the southern Red Sea.