DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A private security firm says a mine has exploded and damaged an oil tanker off Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea near the border with Yemen.
The explosion damaged the MT Agrari, a Maltese-flagged, Greek-managed oil tanker off the coast of Shuqaiq, Saudi Arabia.
Ambrey, a British firm, reported the blast. The ship’s operators referred The Associated Press to a spokesman who did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
The explosion comes after a cruise missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck an oil facility in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi-led coalition reported Tuesday that it removed and destroyed five Iranian-made naval mines planted by the Houthis in the southern Red Sea, condemning the attempted attacks as posing “a serious threat to maritime security in the Bab al-Mandab strait.”
The Houthis have not commented on the allegations. Saudi Arabia did not immediately acknowledge the blast.
A Saudi-led coalition has been battling the Houthis since March 2015.
Copyright © 2020 . All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
