Four commercial ships were subjected to sabotage near United Arab Emirates territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman on May 12, according to UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
No details of the nature of the sabotage were provided, however, UAE said that there were no injuries or fatalities on board the affected vessels, nor spillage of chemicals or fuel.
The incident occurred east of Fujairah, one of the world’s largest bunkering hubs situated outside the Strait of Hormuz.
Khalid Al-Falih, the Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, said that two of the four vessels were Saudi oil tankers. The ships were on their way to cross into the Arabian Gulf.
One of the two vessels was to be loaded with Saudi crude oil from the port of Ras Tanura, to be delivered to Saudi Aramco’s customers in the United States.
“Fortunately, the attack didn’t lead to any casualties or oil spill; however, it caused significant damage to the structures of the two vessels,” Saudi Press Agency cited Al-Falih.
The Saudi minister of energy denounced the attack “that aims to undermine the freedom of maritime navigation, and the security of oil supplies to consumers all over the world.”
Relevant authorities are investigating the incident in cooperation with local and international bodies.
The ministry added that the operations at Port of Fujairah were not affected and that it was operating without any interruption.