DUBAI: Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday (Sep 13), adding to concerns about Iran-related threats to global energy supplies after Saudi Arabia shut down a vital oil pipeline.
The British navy-affiliated agency UKMTO said it had a report of a projectile hitting a vessel as it moved through the strait. The crew were evacuated by local authorities after a fire broke out following the attack, the agency said on Sunday.
UKMTO’s report came the day after Saudi Arabia said it had temporarily closed its East-West pipeline as a precaution after a drone attack that both Baghdad and Riyadh said had originated in Iraq, where Iranian-backed militias operate.
Ongoing attacks in the widening Middle East war could send energy prices even higher after a week that saw the cost of Brent crude surge back above US$100 a barrel.
The 1,200km East-West pipeline running across the Arabian Peninsula has served as the main route out for global supplies of Middle East oil for the past six months while the Strait of Hormuz has been largely shut by war.
It has been moving 4 million to 5 million barrels per day, amounting to 4 per cent to 5 per cent of global supply, sparing Saudi Arabia the brunt of the disruption that has crippled other Gulf oil and gas exporters.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the strikes on the pipeline. Satellite images showed black smoke rising from an area of the pipeline south of Medina. The attack resulted in some injuries and damage that was being assessed, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said without detailing the impact on exports.
US President Donald Trump, visiting Ireland to attend a golf tournament at one of his resorts, said Iran was probably to blame.
On Saturday, Saudi Civil Defence said in a statement that a projectile fired by the Houthis had injured two people in Jazan region, and damaged several buildings, including a mosque.
Iranian state media reported an Iranian commercial vessel was struck off its southern coast early on Sunday, killing one person and wounding three others, without giving further details.
Houthi-run Al Masirah TV said on Sunday that Saudi Arabia carried out three airstrikes on the al-Rubaie area in Taiz province in southwestern Yemen. There was no official confirmation from Saudi Arabia. On Saturday, the Houthis said there have been 129 Saudi airstrikes over the past 48 hours.
