World

Tanker hit off Saudi's Gulf coast, crew evacuated: maritime monitor

 


Dubai: A tanker was struck by an 'unknown projectile' off Saudi Arabia's Gulf coast, forcing the evacuation of its crew, a maritime monitoring agency said on Saturday.
The vessel was hit on Friday, 68 nautical miles of Jubail, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said, adding that 'all crew are reported safe'.
Ships have regularly come under Iranian fire during the Middle East war, as Iran blockades the Strait of Hormuz.
Vanguard, another maritime security agency, identified the ship as the Marshall Islands-flagged Safeen Principal crude oil tanker, saying it lost power and suffered an engine-room fire.
About one-fifth of global oil exports passed through Hormuz before the war began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. Oil prices have soared during the war.