A boat loaded with explosives attacked an oil tanker docked at the Saudi port city of Jeddah in what the authorities there called an act of terrorism, the latest in a string of strikes against the kingdom’s oil infrastructure in recent weeks.
Monday morning’s attack comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East between Iran and the U.S. and its regional allies after the killing last month of one of the Islamic Republic’s top nuclear scientists. While no one has claimed the strike yet, it raises the stakes for diplomacy in the tumultuous region for the incoming Biden administration. Officials have repeatedly warned of the potential threat to international trade posed by such attacks, which target Saudi Arabia’s economic engine.
The attack caused a blast and a fire on the Singapore-flagged BW Rhine, according to Hafnia Ltd. , which owns and operates the vessel. The fire was extinguished and all 22 sailors—including nationals from the Philippines, India, China and Romania—were unhurt, the company said. The ship’s hull was damaged in two locations and some oil may have leaked, it added.
It also exposed security vulnerabilities in the kingdom by targeting a vessel while at a Saudi port. The country’s ports are better protected than offshore waters, where most previous attacks have occurred.
A spokesman for the Saudi Energy Ministry called it a terrorist attack, without assigning blame. He said there was no impact on supplies or damage to the unloading facilities in Jeddah, an important Red Sea port for the kingdom.
