Oil tanker off Saudi Arabia damaged by explosion from ‘external source’

All 22 sailors on board the BW Rhine were able to escape without injury

A picture taken on May 13, 2019, shows the crude oil tanker, Amjad, which was one of two Saudi tankers that were reportedly damaged in mysterious “sabotage attacks”, off the coast of the Gulf emirate of Fujairah. An oil tanker (not pictured) off the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah has been damaged after being hit by an ‘external source’, a shipping company has said (AFP via Getty Images)

An oil tanker off Saudi Arabia’s port city of Jeddah has been hit by an  “external source”, causing an explosion, a shipping company has said. 

The incident comes following a series of attacks on vessels in the kingdom in the midst of its ongoing war in Yemen. 

In a statement published on Monday, shipping firm Hafnia said the 22 sailors on board the BW Rhine were able to escape unscathed. 

The company said the Singapore-flagged vessel had been discharging at Jeddah when it was hit at around 12.40 am local time on Monday. 

Crew members were able to extinguish a fire that broke out as a result of the explosion with the help of members of the shore fire brigade and nearby tug boats.

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Hafnia  company said some oil might have leaked in the incident. However, it said “this has not been confirmed and instrumentation currently indicates that oil levels on board are at the same level as before the incident”.

The incident comes after a mine attack last month saw another tanker damaged off Saudi Arabia. 

Authorities blamed the November incident on Yemen’s Houthi rebels. 

The United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations, an organisation operating under Britain’s royal navy, urged caution for ships in the area. 

It said an investigation into Monday’s incident was still ongoing.