RIYADH: A blast rocked a Singapore-flagged oil tanker at the Saudi port of Jeddah on Monday, the vessel’s owner said, with the kingdom saying it was struck by an explosives-laden boat in a “terrorist” assault.

All 22 sailors aboard the tanker BW Rhine escaped unhurt in the blast, said Singa­pore-based shipping company Hafnia, which did not exclude the possibility of an oil spill.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

“BW Rhine has been hit from an external source whilst discharging at Jed­dah... causing an explosion and subsequent fire onboard,” Hafnia said in a statement.

Pakistan condemns attacks

“The crew have extingui­shed the fire with assistance from the shore fire brigade and tug boats,” it added.

The vessel was “attacked by an explosive-laden boat”, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported, citing an energy ministry spokesman who condemned the “terrorist” attack.

“The incident did not result in any casualties, and there was no damage caused to the unloading facilities, nor any effect on supplies,” SPA said, without specifying who was behind the assault.

“These acts of terrorism and vandalism, directed against vital installations, go beyond the kingdom and its vital facilities, to the security and stability of energy supplies to the world and the global economy.” Jeddah, the second biggest Saudi city, is home to a key Red Sea port and distribution centre for oil giant Saudi Aramco.

Hafnia reported “hull damage” in the blast.

“It is possible that some oil has escaped from the vessel, but this has not been confirmed and instrumen­tation currently indicates that oil levels on board are at the same level as before the incident,” it said.

Dryad Global, a London-based maritime intelligence firm, also reported the explosion, saying it struck a vessel while “carrying out operations within the main tanker anchorage at the Saudi Aramco Jeddah port”.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it was aware of an explosion and warned vessels in the area to exercise “extreme caution”. The incident comes after an explosion last month rocked a Greek-operated oil tanker docked at the southern Saudi port of Shuqaiq, an attack that a Riyadh-led military coalition blamed on Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

No injuries were reported in that blast on the Maltese-flagged Agrari tanker, according to its Greece-based operator TMS Tankers, while Dryad Global said it was caused by a “water-borne improvised explosive device” launched by the Houthis.

Meanwhile, Pakistan strongly condemned terrorist attacks on the oil transport vessels in Jeddah and Al-Shuqaiq, and on the petroleum distribution station in Jizan. “These attacks threaten peace and security of Saudi Arabia, as well as the region. We call for their immediate cessation,” the Foreign Office said in a statement. It added that Pakistan reiterated its full support and solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against any threats to its security and territorial integrity.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2020