Greek-operated tanker hit by mine at Saudi terminal

A Greek-operated tanker was damaged by a mine at a Saudi Arabian terminal on the Red Sea just north of the Yemeni border, damaging its hull, British maritime security company Ambrey said on Wednesday. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) separately said it was aware a vessel had experienced an explosion at Shuqaiq in Saudi Arabia while operating at an oil-fired power plant there.

A Greek-operated tanker was damaged by a mine at a Saudi Arabian terminal on the Red Sea just north of the Yemeni border, damaging its hull, British maritime security company Ambrey said on Wednesday.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) separately said it was aware a vessel had experienced an explosion at Shuqaiq in Saudi Arabia while operating at an oil-fired power plant there. It said investigations were ongoing.

The Saudi government media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Maltese-flagged tanker Agrari, is operated by Greece's TMS Tankers, Ambrey said. TMS could not be reached for immediate comment.

"The ... LR2/Aframax tanker AGRARI was impacted by a mine having berthed at one of the Al Shuqaiq Steam Power Plant (SSPP) jetties in Saudi Arabia," Ambrey's report said. "The explosion took place in port limits and punctured the hull of the vessel, which is in ballast," it added. It did not say when the incident happened but noted the vessel had arrived at al-Shuqaiq on Nov 23.

The report follows a number of recent security incidents concerning Saudi oil infrastructure. Yemen's Houthi group on Monday claimed a strike on a Saudi Aramco petroleum products distribution plant in Jeddah. Aramco and Saudi authorities confirmed the attack.

Two weeks ago, a fire near a floating platform belonging to the Jazan oil products terminal was contained with no injuries. That fire was the result of another attempted Houthi attack, in which a Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen intercepted and destroyed two explosive-laden boats in the southern Red Sea. The Agrari is a smaller Aframax crude oil tanker, data on TMS Tankers website showed.