World News – AU – Oil tanker hit by « external source » explosion outside Saudi Arabian port

The latest in a series of attacks on shipping in the Kingdom is linked to the Saudis’ years of war against Houthi rebels in Yemen

An oil tanker in front of the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah suffered an explosion after being hit by « an external source, » a shipping company said. long war in Yemen.

The BW Rhine marked under Singapore saw all 22 seafarers on board escape without injury after the attack on Sunday, said the BW group in a statement. The company warned that oil may have leaked from the site of the explosion.

Saudi Arabia did not immediately acknowledge the explosion in the Red Sea port, which is an integral part of its oil industry. However, it comes after a mine attack last month that damaged a tanker off Saudi Arabia that authorities have accused the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The UK Marine Trade Operations, part of the UK Royal Navy, urged ships in the area to exercise caution and said the investigation was still ongoing.

Dryad Global, a marine intelligence company, also reported on the explosion. Nobody immediately offered a reason.

The 5th. The U.S. Navy fleet patrolling Middle Eastern waters did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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 town of Nishtun in Far East Yemen earlier this month.

Jeman’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have already deployed sea mines in their long war against a coalition led by Saudi Arabia. However, the Houthis have not commented on last month’s attack.

The rebels launched a rocket attack on an oil depot in November, causing an explosion and fire in a fuel tank. Also in November, several people were injured after an explosion at a ceasefire ceremony in Jeddah.

Dryad Global said if it were the Houthis behind Sunday’s blast it would mean « a fundamental shift in both aiming skills and intentions ». .

The Red Sea is an important shipping route for both cargo and global energy supplies. If the port has been planted with mines, it poses a threat not only to Saudi Arabia but also to the rest of the world. Mines can get into the water and then get carried away by the currents in the Red Sea, which change depending on the season.

The Red Sea was previously dismantled. In 1984, 19 ships reported striking mines there, of which, according to a U, only one was ever recovered and disarmed. N. . Expert body examining the Yemen war.

Saudi Arabia, oil tankers, petroleum, Jeddah