DUBAI – The United Arab Emirates said Sunday four merchant vessels had been targeted by “acts of sabotage” in Gulf waters off its coast.
“Four commercial, civilian trading vessels of various nationalities this morning suffered acts of sabotage” off the UAE’s eastern coast, its foreign ministry said in a statement.
It did not name who was responsible for the incident that took place in the Gulf of Oman, close to the Strait of Hormuz, but warned that “carrying out acts of sabotage on commercial and civilian vessels and threatening the safety and lives of those on board is a serious development”.
Nobody was harmed during the incident, the ministry said; it called on world powers to help keep maritime traffic safe.
The government of Fujairah denied media reports about blasts inside Fujairah port and said the facility was operating normally.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s energy minister said 2 Saudi oil tankers hit in “sabotage attack” off UAE coast have “significant damage”.
In a statement Sunday, the Gulf Cooperation Council condemned the “sabotage operations”. The council’s General Secretary, Abdul Latif bin Rashid al-Zayani, termed the incident a “dangerous escalation (that) speaks of the evil intentions” of whoever carried out the attack.
“The General Secretary calls on the international community and the international maritime organizations to practice its politics and lawfulness to stop any sides that try to harm the safety or the maritime flow in this strategic part to the world,” read the statement.
“These irresponsible acts only adds to the tension and conflict in the region and jeopardize the interests of their peoples,” it added.
