Dubai/London - Saudi Arabia said on Monday
that two Saudi oil tankers were among vessels targeted by a
"sabotage attack" off the coast of the United Arab Emirates,
condemning it as an attempt to undermine the security of global
crude supplies.
The UAE said on Sunday that four commercial vessels were
sabotaged near Fujairah emirate, one of the world's largest
bunkering hubs lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz. It did
not say who was behind the operation, which took place amid
heightened tensions between the United States and Iran.
Iran's foreign ministry called the incidents "worrisome and
dreadful" and asked for an investigation into the matter.
The strait, a vital global oil and gas shipping route,
separates the Gulf states and Iran, which has been embroiled in
an escalating war of words with the United States over sanctions
and the U.S. military's presence in the region.
Oil prices rose on Monday, with Brent crude futures
trading at $70.98 a barrel at 0618 GMT.
Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said in a statement
that one of the two Saudi vessels attacked was on its way to be
loaded with Saudi crude from Ras Tanura port for delivery to
state-owned Saudi Aramco's customers in the United States.
The attack did not lead to any casualties or an oil spill
but caused significant damage to the structures of the two
vessels, said the statement, carried on state news agency SPA.
Trading and shipping sources identified the Saudi vessels as
Bahri-owned very large crude carrier (VLCC) tanker Amjad and
crude tanker Al Marzoqah. Bahri did not respond to a
request for comment.
The UAE foreign ministry said on Sunday there were no
casualties and the Fujairah port operations were normal. An
investigation had been launched in coordination with
international authorities, and called on global powers to
prevent any parties trying to harm maritime safety and security.
Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry in a separate statement
voiced support for its clsoe regional ally the UAE, the Middle
East's trade and business hub. Dubai's stock exchange index fell
1.6% and Abu Dhabi's index 1.7% in early trade on Monday.
ESCALATING TENSIONS
Sunni Muslim allies Saudi Arabia and the UAE have strongly
backed U.S. sanctions against fellow OPEC producer and regional
foe Shi'ite Iran. After the United States ended all sanctions
waivers on Iranian crude, Washington said Riyadh and Abu Dhabi
would help compensate for any shortage in oil supply.
Falih said the attack aimed to undermine maritime freedom
and the security of oil supplies to consumers all over the
world.
"The international community has a joint responsibility to
protect the safety of maritime navigation and the security of
oil tankers, to mitigate against the adverse consequences of
such incidents on energy markets and the danger they pose to the
global economy," he said.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi was cited by
the semi-official ISNA news agency as saying the incident off
Fujairah "has negative impact on maritime transportation
security" and asked for regional countries to be "vigilant
against destabilising plots of foreign agents".
The US Maritime Administration said in an advisory on
Sunday the incidents off Fujairah, one of the seven emirates
that make up the UAE, have not been confirmed and urged caution
when transiting the area. It said "the precise means of attack
or sabotage is unknown".
Earlier this month, the Maritime Administration said US commercial ships including oil tankers sailing through Middle
East waterways could be targeted by Iran in one of the threats
to US interests posed by Tehran.
Washington said it was sending a US aircraft carrier and
other forces to the Middle East due to what it said were Iranian
threats, while Tehran has called the US military presence "a
target" rather than a threat
US President Donald Trump's government has been ratcheting
up pressure on Iran with sanctions since Washington withdrew a
year ago from a 2015 international nuclear deal between Tehran
and world powers.
Washington tightened sanctions on Iran this month,
eliminating waivers that had allowed some countries to buy its
oil, saying it wanted to cut Tehran’s crude exports to zero.
Iran has said it will not let its oil exports by halted.