Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Falih confirmed that two Saudi oil tankers had suffered an act of sabotage on Sunday off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), local media reported on Monday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th May, 2019) Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Falih confirmed that two Saudi oil tankers had suffered an act of sabotage on Sunday off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), local media reported on Monday.
On Sunday, the UAE Foreign Ministry said that four commercial vessels had been targeted by "an act of sabotage" near the emirate of Fujairah.
According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), one of the two vessels was on its way to Ras Tanura port to be loaded with Saudi crude aimed for Saudi Aramco's customers in the United States. The attack did not inflict casualties or oil spill, but damaged the structure of the oil tankers, the media outlet said.
Falih condemned the attack as an attempt to undermine security of global crude supplies and stressed the responsibility of the entire international community in ensuring the safety of maritime navigation and preventing risks to the global economy, as cited by the media.
The news came days after the US Maritime Administration warned that Iran could target commercial sea traffic in the region.
A spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the acts of sabotage against the vessels in the UAE waters and called for proper investigation into the incident.
