Dubai: An oil tanker off Saudi Arabia’s port city of Jiddah suffered an explosion early Monday after being hit by “an external source,” a shipping company said, suggesting another vessel has come under attack off the kingdom amid its yearslong war in Yemen.
The Singapore-flagged BW Rhine saw all 22 sailors on board escaped without injury, the BW Group said in a statement. The company warned some oil might have leaked out from the site of the blast.
Saudi Arabia did not immediately acknowledge the blast, which struck off a crucial port and distribution centre for its oil trade. However, it comes after a mine attack last month that damaged a tanker off Saudi Arabia that authorities blamed on Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
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The United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations, an organization under Britain’s royal navy, urged ships in the area to exercise caution and said investigations were ongoing.
Dryad Global, a maritime intelligence firm, also reported the blast. No one immediately offered a cause.