Tanker Catches Fire Off Saudi Coast After Being Struck by Projectile

A tanker caught fire after being struck by an ‘unknown projectile’ in the Red Sea, off the coast of Saudi Arabia. The incident occurred as the Yemen-based Houthi group has been targeting Saudi vessels after announcing a maritime blockade in the Red Sea.

The incident was reported by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a maritime security body sponsored by the Royal Navy. The UKMTO report stated that the incident took place in waters 63 nautical miles west of the Saudi port city of Yanbu. Yanbu is located hundreds of kilometres north of Yemen, the Houthi stronghold.

The projectile strike, according to UKMTO, triggered a fire on the tanker, whose country of origin was not specified. ‘Company Security Officer reported that a tanker has been hit by an unknown projectile, which caused a fire on the vessel’s main deck,’ UKMTO said in its report. ‘All crew are safe and accounted for, and there are no reports of environmental impact,’ the report added.

A separate report from British maritime security firm Vanguard Tech stated that a Saudi-flagged vessel was hit by a missile and caught fire. There has been no official response from Riyadh authorities regarding the report.

No claim of responsibility has yet been made by the Houthis for the incident. However, in recent weeks, the Iran-backed Houthis have launched attacks on Saudi oil facilities and vessels in the Red Sea. The Houthis also claimed to have targeted facilities of Saudi oil giant Aramco in Yanbu in July.

Yanbu is a major Saudi oil port on the Red Sea, where millions of barrels of oil are loaded daily. Yanbu serves as a key route for Saudi oil exports to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, which is blockaded by Iran. Shipping activity from Yanbu has been disrupted since the Houthis announced a maritime blockade in the Red Sea last month.