Dubai (AFP) - Four ships, including two Saudi oil tankers, were damaged in as yet unexplained "sabotage attacks" at a time of Gulf tensions triggered by a bitter US-Iran standoff. Amid rising fears of a conflict, here is what we know about Sunday's attacks off the Emirati coast. - What happened? - A United Arab Emirates government official said the Saudi oil tankers Al-Marzoqah and Amjad were attacked off the emirate of Fujairah along with the Norwegian tanker Andrea Victory and a UAE ship, the A. Michel. The Andrea Victory's managers, Thome Group, said the tanker had a hole in the hull area "after being struck by an unknown object on the waterline". The crew were unharmed and the ship was not in any danger of sinking. Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said the kingdom's two tankers suffered "significant damage" but there were no casualties or any oil spill. Neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE, both close allies of the United States, have yet given details on the exact nature of the attacks. Adding to the tensions, Saudi Arabia said Tuesday that two pumping stations on a major east-west oil pipeline had been hit in a drones' attack. Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels said earlier they had hit several vital Saudi targets. - Who was behind ship attacks? - There has been no claim of responsibility, and neither Riyadh nor Abu Dhabi has pointed a finger of blame. The UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, has said the Emirates would probe the "deliberate sabotage" of the ships. Asked whether Washington believed Tehran played a role, Brian Hook, the US special envoy for Iran, declined to comment, saying only US authorities would be assisting the investigation at the UAE's request. - What has been the reaction? - Saudi Arabia, Iran's regional arch-rival, condemned "the acts of sabotage which targeted commercial and civilian vessels", a foreign ministry source said. Story continues "This criminal act constitutes a serious threat to the security and safety of maritime navigation and adversely impacts regional and international peace and security," the source added. Without accusing Tehran, US President Donald Trump warned that Iran would "suffer greatly" if it does "anything". "I'm hearing little stories about Iran," Trump said at the White House. "If they do anything, it would be a very bad mistake. If they do anything they will suffer greatly." Britain warned of the danger of conflict erupting "by accident" in the Gulf, as Tehran distanced itself and called for an investigation into the "alarming and regrettable" attacks. The United Nations urged restraint from all sides. "We are concerned about the heightened tensions in the region. We call upon all concerned parties to exercise restraint for the sake of regional peace," said UN spokesman Farhan Haq. - What is significance of location? - Fujairah port is the only Emirati terminal located on the Arabian Sea coast, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, through which most Gulf oil exports pass. Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait in case of a military confrontation with the United States. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), 35 percent of the world's seaborne oil transits passes through the Strait of Hormuz. Oil transit was disrupted in 1984 during the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) when more than 500 vessels were destroyed or damaged in a "Tanker War". In 1988, an Iran Air flight from Tehran to Dubai was shot down by missiles fired from a US Navy cruiser patrolling the strait. All 290 people on board were killed. The crew of the USS Vincennes said they mistook the Airbus for an Iranian fighter. - What are the stakes? - Washington's dispatch to the region of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group, an amphibious assault ship, a Patriot missile battery and B-52 bombers has sparked fears of possible military clashes. The increasing tensions come after Tehran said last week it has stopped respecting limits on its nuclear activities agreed under a 2015 deal that has since been abandoned by Washington. US national security advisor John Bolton has said Washington's military buildup was "a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime that any attack on United States interests or on those of our allies will be met with unrelenting force".<doc-sep>Iran’s Foreign Ministry is calling for clarification about what happened with two Saudi oil tankers that the kingdom says were targeted in a “sabotage attack” off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia’s energy minister said two of the ships were Saudi oil tankers that sustained “significant damage” in Sunday’s attack near the UAE emirate of Fujairah. On Monday, Iran foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi expressed concern about the explosions and said there should be more information about what exactly happened. He said the security of shipping and maritime transport in the region was of paramount importance, The Associated Press reported. The state-run IRNA news agency also quoted Mr Mousavi as cautioning against any “conspiracy orchestrated by ill-wishers” and “adventurism by foreigners” to undermine the region’s stability and security. The ships were among four commercial vessels sabotaged on Sunday. Fujairah is one of the world’s largest bunkering hubs and lies just outside the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is a vital oil and natural gas corridor for the global energy market. The UAE’s foreign minister gave no details of what form the sabotage took, but said there were no injuries or deaths. “Subjecting commercial vessels to sabotage operations and threatening the lives of their crew is considered a dangerous development,” said the ministry statement tweeted by state news agency WAM on Sunday. It did not identify the vessels, beyond saying they were of various nationalities. It said the incident did not result in spills. BREAKING: Saudi Arabia's energy minister says 2 Saudi oil tankers hit in "sabotage attack" off UAE coast have "significant damage" — The Associated Press (@AP) May 13, 2019 However, in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, Saudi energy minister Khalid Al-Falih said two of his nation’s tankers were targeted. One tanker was on its way to the kingdom to be loaded with Saudi crude oil to send to the US. “Fortunately, the attack didn’t lead to any casualties or oil spill,” he said. “However, it caused significant damage to the structures of the two vessels.” The Associated Press reported on Monday that the US had issued a new alert to maritime traffic after the sabotage, amid heightened regional tensions between American and Iran. In recent days the US has sent additional warships to the region. The UAE foreign ministry called the attempted sabotage a “dangerous development” and called on the global community to “prevent such actions” in future. Earlier on Sunday, the government of the UAE emirate of Fujairah denied media reports of blasts at its port. The US Navy’s Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet said it was aware of the report when contacted by Reuters but referred queries to the UAE authorities. The statement did not identify the media outlets that published the reports of blasts. But the Iranian Press TV website cited a Lebanese broadcaster, Mayadeen, saying seven oil tankers were attacked in the port. The UAE statement also denied any incident had taken place inside the port. It said the UAE had taken all necessary measures and launched an investigation in coordination with international authorities. “The international community should carry out its responsibilities to prevent any parties trying to harm maritime security and safety, which would be considered a threat to international safety and security,” it said. -with AAP<doc-sep>
Fast News Iran's foreign ministry spokesman says the incidents near the coast of Fujairah are "worrisome and dreadful" and calls for an investigation into the matter. Oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, on December 21, 2018. (Reuters Archive) Saudi Arabia said on Monday that two Saudi oil tankers were among vessels targeted by a "sabotage attack" off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), condemning it as an attempt to undermine the security of global crude supplies. The announcement by the kingdom's energy minister Khalid al Falih came as tensions soared in a region already shaken by a stand-off between the United States and Iran. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo scrapped a planned visit to Moscow to head to Brussels instead for talks with European officials on Iran. The UAE said on Sunday that four commercial vessels were hit by sabotage near the emirate of Fujairah, one of the world's largest bunkering hubs lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE gave no details on the nature of the sabotage or who was behind it. Iran called for an investigation into the "alarming" attacks and warned of "adventurism" by foreign players to disrupt maritime security. Norway-registered tanker damaged The hull of a Norwegian-registered product tanker was damaged by an unknown object off the coast of port Fujairah on Sunday, Thome Ship Management said on Monday. "The master of MT Andrea Victory reported the crew were unharmed but there was a hole in the hull area of the aft peak tank. The ship is not in any danger of sinking," Thome said in a statement. The vessel is 47,210 deadweight tonnes, according to Refinitiv data. No casualties The UAE earlier said there were no casualties and operations at Fujairah port were normal. The strait, a vital global oil and gas shipping route, separates the Gulf states and Iran, which has been embroiled in an escalating war of words with the United States over sanctions and the U.S. military's presence in the region. Falih said in a statement that one of the two Saudi vessels attacked was on its way to be loaded with Saudi crude from Ras Tanura port for delivery to state-owned Saudi Aramco's customers in the United States. The attack did not lead to any casualties or an oil spill but caused significant damage to the structures of the two vessels, said the statement carried on state news agency SPA. Trading and shipping sources identified the Saudi vessels as Bahri-owned very large crude carrier (VLCC) tanker Amjad and crude tanker Al Marzoqah. National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) did not respond to a request for comment. Falih said the attack aimed to undermine maritime freedom and "security of oil supplies to consumers all over the world". "The international community has a joint responsibility to protect the safety of maritime navigation and the security of oil tankers, to mitigate against the adverse consequences of such incidents on energy markets and the danger they pose to the global economy," he said. Means of 'sabotage' unknown The US Maritime Administration said in an advisory on Sunday that the incidents off Fujairah, one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE, have not been confirmed and urged caution when transiting the area. It said, "the precise means of attack or sabotage is unknown". Earlier this month, the Maritime Administration warned that US commercial ships including oil tankers sailing through key Middle East waterways could be targeted by Iran in one of the threats to US interests posed by Tehran. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman called the incidents on Sunday to ships near the coast of Fujairah "worrisome and dreadful", and asked for an investigation into the matter. Source: TRTWorld and agencies