Gulf on high alert

In a mysterious “sabotage attacks”, two of Saudi Arabia’s oil tankers yesterday suffered “significant damages’ near the territorial waters of the United Arab Emirates.

The vessels were targeted while on their way to cross into the Arabian Gulf off the coast of Fujairah, said Khalid Al-Falih, Saudi Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources. One of the two vessels was on its way to being loaded with Saudi crude oil from the port of Ras Tanura, to be delivered to Saudi Aramco customers in the US.

“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. The minister denounced the attacks on vessels as acts that “aims to undermine the freedom of maritime navigation, and the security of oil supplies to consumers all over the world.”

The attack came soon after four commercial vessels of various nationalities had been targeted by acts of sabotage off the emirate of Fujairah. It also followed a warning issued recently by the US intelligence claiming that Iran has made plans to target US forces in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East.