Iran flexes muscles ahead of Biden’s inauguration
An attack on an oil tanker anchored in the Saudi port of Jeddah on Monday revealed that Iran is seeking to boast its capabilities by threatening navigation in the Red Sea, weeks before US President-elect Joe Biden takes office on January 20.
Tuesday 15/12/2020
Oil tanker BW Rhine is seen in the Straits of Singapore. (REUTERS)
JEDDAH – An attack on an oil tanker anchored in the Saudi port of Jeddah on Monday revealed that Iran is seeking to boast its capabilities by threatening navigation in the Red Sea, weeks before US President-elect Joe Biden takes office on January 20.
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Explosion rocks oil tanker at Saudi port
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December 15, 2020
RIYADH: A blast rocked a Singapore-flagged oil tanker at the Saudi port of Jeddah Monday, the vessel’s owner said, with the kingdom saying it was struck by an explosives-laden boat in a “terrorist” assault.
All 22 sailors aboard the tanker BW Rhine escaped unhurt after the blast struck just after midnight, Singapore-based shipping company Hafnia said, but it did not exclude the possibility of an oil spill.
No group has so farclaimed responsibility for what marks the latest in a string of attacks on Saudi energy sector targets, but it comes as Iran-backed Huthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen step up cross-border strikes against Saudi Arabia.
A fuel transport ship was attacked by an explosive-laden boat in Saudi Arabia on Monday, the kingdom’s Ministry of Energy said.
The Singapore-flagged oil tanker’s owner confirmed it was struck by a blast in the fuel terminal in Jeddah during a “terrorist” assault.
“The attack resulted in a small fire, which emergency units successfully extinguished. The incident did not result in any casualties, and there was no damage caused to the unloading facilities, nor any effect on supplies,” a ministry spokesman said, according to the state news agency SPA.
In a statement on Monday, shipping company Hafnia said all 22 sailors on board the BW Rhine escaped without injury. The company warned it was possible some oil leaked out from the site of the blast.
Oil tanker attacked by bomb-laden boat in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia says
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image copyrightEPA
image captionThe owner of the BW Rhine said its 22 crew were not harmed in the incident (file photo)
Saudi Arabia says an oil tanker was attacked by an explosive-laden boat while it was anchored at Jeddah s port.
The overnight attack at the facility s fuel terminal resulted in a small fire on board that was extinguished, the energy ministry told state media.
The owner of a Singapore-flagged tanker, BW Rhine, earlier said that it had been hit from an external source , causing a blast that damaged its hull.