A tanker caught fire after being struck by an “unknown projectile” off the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia on Monday, a British maritime agency said.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said all crew were safe and accounted for with no reported environmental impact.
“The Company Security Officer reported a tanker has been struck by unknown projectile causing a fire to the vessel on the main deck. All crew are safe and accounted for and no environmental impact has been reported,” said the UKMTO.
The incident took place 63 nautical miles west from the Saudi city of Yanbu, the agency reported.
Yanbu is Saudi Arabia’s main Red Sea oil port, where millions of barrels a day are loaded, and has become the main route out for Saudi oil skirting the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blockaded by Iran.
Shipping from Yanbu has itself faced disruption since Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis declared a blockade on Saudi-linked vessels in the Red Sea last month.
The Houthis have carried out attacks on Saudi oil facilities and shipping in the Red Sea in recent weeks, and they claimed to have targeted Saudi oil giant Aramco facilities in Yanbu in July. There was no confirmation or comment from Saudi authorities.
(With inputs from AFP, Reuters)
