MONDAY, DEC 14— An explosion occurred aboard a Singapore-flagged oil tanker, the BW Rhine, off of the port of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a key Red Sea port and distribution centre for Saudi Aramco. There were no reported injuries or fatalities, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. According to the owner company of the BW Rhine, Hafnia has stated that the fire was due to an external source, which caused an explosion and in turn, a large fire on board.
Saudi state media reported later that attacked by a boat full of explosives, and have called this an act of terrorism. A slew of similar attacks on ships in the region over the last year highlights the infrastructural vulnerabilities in Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure.
The tanker was carrying 60,000 tons of gasoline. Hafnia has reported hull damage and has not ruled out the possibility of an oil spill. The instruments onboard, there has been no change in the oil level on the ship. According to Hafnia, it has activated its shore-based emergency response team and has implemented cooling procedures to inert the cargo and mitigate the possibility of any more explosions or fires. The ship is currently being assessed for stability before being redeployed.
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