The Al Shuqaiq terminal in southern Saudi Arabia, near the Yemeni border, was the scene of an explosion on board the George Economou-controlled, 107,000-dwt tanker Agrari (built 2009) on 23 November last year. The Hafnia blast was the third incident in little more than two months in which a tanker suffered an explosion in the region. While the attack on the 76,600-dwt BW Rhine (built 2008) was not blamed on the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, Saudi Arabia described the incident as a “terrorist attack”. Israel’s transportation ministry said it was not aware of the incident, while Iran has not commented.Īmbrey Intelligence said in a social media post that the ship could have been targeted due to its affiliation with Israel and the UK.Īn LR1 product tanker owned by Hafnia suffered an explosion and fire at the Saudi Red Sea port of Jeddah in December last year. Tensions between Israel and Iran remain fraught, especially in light of increased signs of rapprochement between Iran and the administration of US President Joe Biden, Dryad added. Ray Car Carriers is reported to be Israeli-owned. "Such activity would be commensurate with current tensions and Iranian intent to exercise forceful diplomacy through military means within its immediate area of interest," Dryad said. The company added that while details remain unclear, it it still a realistic possibility that the event was the result of "asymmetric activity by Iranian military". The ship has protection and indemnity cover from the West of England club.ĭryad said the vessel appears to be returning to port of origin. The ship was en route from Dammam in Saudi Arabia to Singapore. No details were given of a possible cause. Vessels transiting the area are advised to exercise caution." "Investigations are ongoing," UKMTO said. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) issued an alert on Friday, saying only that a ship had suffered a blast.
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