2 Saudi oil tankers came under attack off UAE coast

MNA International Desk: Saudi Arabia on Monday said that two of its tankers were targeted in a “sabotage attack” off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Quoting energy minister Khalid Al-Falih, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reports the two tankers were targeted off the coast of Fujairah.

Al-Falih explained that one tanker was en route to the kingdom to be loaded with Saudi crude oil to send to the United States to supply Saudi Aramco customers.

“Fortunately, the attack didn’t lead to any casualties or oil spill; however, it caused significant damage to the structures of the two vessels,” Al-Falih said.

Al-Falih’s comments came as the US issued a new warning to sailors and the UAE’s regional allies condemned the reported sabotage of four ships off the coast of Fujairah.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Kingdom condemned the acts of sabotage that targeted commercial cargo ships near the territorial waters of the UAE.

“This criminal act poses a serious threat to the security and safety of maritime traffic and negatively affects regional and international peace and security,” the ministry said.

The UAE foreign ministry had reported on Sunday that four commercial vessels were targeted near its territorial waters.

The foreign ministry released a statement saying that the vessels – targeted at a distance of 115 kilometers from Iran – were “civilian trading vessels of various nationalities”, and that the UAE was investigating the incident with local and international bodies.

Rumors about ships inside the port being sabotaged were unfounded, the ministry added.

The port of Fujairah continues to operate as normal and there were no victims of the sabotage incident.

The ministry added that targeting merchant ships and threatening the lives of crew members is a “dangerous development,” and that the government considers the acts of sabotage to be a threat to the safety and security of the UAE.

The statement came just hours after Iranian and Lebanese media outlets aired false reports of explosions at the city’s port.
The US has warned ships that “Iran or its proxies” could be targeting maritime traffic in the region. America is deploying an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf to counter alleged threats from Tehran.

However, Iran on Monday called attacks on ships in the Gulf “alarming”, after the UAE and Saudi Arabia said several vessels including oil tankers were damaged in acts of sabotage off the Emirati coast.

The incidents are “alarming and regrettable,” Iranian Foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said in an English-language statement on the ministry’s website, calling for a probe into the attacks and warning of “adventurism” by foreign players to disrupt maritime security.

Meanwhile, the European Union’s foreign policy and security chief, Federica Mogherini, urged to avoid any escalation on Iran. Mogherini said that a discussion would be held on Monday how to continue backing full implementation of the nuclear deal.