Houthis Escalate Saudi Shipping Campaign With VLCC Strike

UKMTO says a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile about 63 nautical miles west of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, early Monday, sparking a fire on the main deck. All crew are safe and accounted for, and no environmental impact has been reported.

Maritime security analyst Martine Kelly, Head of Advisory at EOS Risk Group, identified the vessel as the Saudi-flagged, Bahri-owned VLCC AMZAN (IMO 9693745), saying the Houthis attacked the tanker with an anti-ship ballistic missile. The vessel was sailing from Ain Sukhna, Egypt, to Yanbu when it was hit.

The Houthis have separately claimed responsibility for the attack.

The strike marks