An oil tanker was hit by an unidentified projectile approximately 130 km southwest of the Saudi Red Sea port of al-Shuqaiq, causing a fire that the crew managed to extinguish, according to the open-source intelligence account OSINTdefender. No casualties or environmental damage were reported.
On Saturday evening, the open-source intelligence account OSINTdefender reported that an oil tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile about 130 km southwest of the Saudi Red Sea port of al-Shuqaiq, causing a fire that the crew extinguished. No casualties or environmental damage were reported. This follows a series of developments on Friday evening, when the story first broke.
The thread began Friday evening with unverified reports claiming a Houthi attack on a Saudi oil tanker in the Bab el-Mandeb strait. Shortly after, Saudi state television confirmed an attack on a Saudi vessel in the Red Sea, without specifying the ship or the extent of damage. Later that evening, the Saudi Public Transport Authority identified the vessel as the Saudi-flagged ship NCC Masa, stating it sustained minor hull damage and that the crew was safe, with the ship continuing to its destination. The new OSINTdefender report provides the precise location and the detail that a fire broke out but was brought under control.
The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden have seen multiple attacks on commercial vessels in recent months, as The Zioneer reported on several incidents off Oman. These include a tanker hit by rockets on July 7, a missile strike on July 14, and a gunfire attack on June 13, all reported by the UKMTO. The region remains a high-risk zone for maritime traffic.
The perpetrator of the latest attack remains unknown, and no group has claimed responsibility. The initial Houthi involvement reported in the thread has not been officially confirmed. The source of the projectile and the exact cause of the fire are still unclear.
4 developments
- StrongOil tanker hit by unidentified projectile off Oman coast, security report says
- StrongReport: Fire breaks out on ship struck by unknown object off Saudi Arabia
- DevelopingOil tanker attacked by small boats off Yemen's Aden coast, report says
- StrongUKMTO: Tanker hit by rockets off Oman coast, fire reported
Source and signal
- Open-source intake