A tanker caught fire after being hit by an unidentified projectile off the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia on Monday, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
The incident took place about 63 nautical miles west of Yanbu, one of Saudi Arabia’s key oil ports on the Red Sea.
The UKMTO, a British maritime security agency, said the vessel’s crew were safe and accounted for, with no reports of an environmental impact.
The port has assumed heightened strategic importance as vessels look for alternative routes to the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing disruptions in that maritime passage.
Security concerns surrounding shipping corridors in the Red Sea have also intensified. Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group has threatened Saudi-affiliated vessels and previously claimed attacks against installations run by Saudi oil giant Aramco located in Yanbu, including an alleged strike in July.
The latest development follows a series of recent strikes in the region. Earlier on August 17, the Houthi group stated that it had launched a ballistic missile attack targeting a Saudi military landing ship alongside four escort vessels in the Red Sea, off the southwestern port city of Mocha.
Detailing that operation, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree noted that the attack was executed using multiple ballistic missiles, describing the strikes as “direct and precise”. He asserted that the landing vessel caught fire, while some escorting boats sank and others were set ablaze.
In a separate statement, Saree added that Houthi forces targeted a military weapons depot at the Sahn al-Jin camp in Yemen’s northeastern Marib province using several drones, claiming the strike caused a fire at the location.
Mocha, a government-held port city near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and sits close to a major global maritime chokepoint. Repeated Houthi attacks in and around the city since August 9 have reportedly caused casualties and damage to port infrastructure while disrupting shipping operations.
Refusing to back down, the Houthis have said they are closely monitoring Saudi military movements and will continue targeting Saudi forces on land and at sea. The group has described the campaign as part of its policy of “siege for siege” against Saudi Arabia.
