A Saudi Arabian-owned cargoship has been damaged after hitting a mine in the southern Red Sea, it has emerged.
The incident happened on 25 December, according to the Arab Coalition fighting a war against Yemen's rebel Houthi militia.
Al-Ekhbariya TV reported no casualties and only minor damage to the vessel, which was not named.
Security consultancy Ambrey told TradeWinds it is extremely likely that one of two sisterships — the 1,900-dwt landing crafts Leen Almelahia or Dana Almelahia (both built 2013)— was damaged.
If correct, this would mean the attack was highly likely to have taken place in Saudi waters off Jizan.
The vessels are operated by Maritime Co for Navigation (MACNA), of Jizan, which was not available for comment on Monday.
'Serious threat'
The Iran-backed Houthi militia continues to plant marine mines in the southern Red Sea and in the Bab al-Mandab strait, which "is a serious threat to international shipping and global trade", the coalition added.
Ambrey said the vessel's bow had been damaged.
"Imagery of the damage circulated in Saudi media confirmed the blast penetrated the vessel’s hull through to deck level," the company added.
The blast is another in a spate of security incidents linked to Iran or the Houthis.
On Monday, Iranian forces seized a South Korean tanker, the 17,400-dwt Hankuk Chemi (built 2000), in the Strait of Hormuz, for alleged pollution.
And Iraq confirmed last week an unexploded limpet mine was found on a tanker in the Middle East Gulf.
Crew aboard the 150,000-dwt Pola (built 2011) discovered a "suspicious object" on its hull on 27 December, later confirmed to be an explosive device, maritime security consultancy Dryad Global said.
The mine was discovered while the Pola was conducting a ship-to-ship transfer about 11 km south of Iraq's Al Basrah Oil Terminal.
Limpet mines were the alleged method of choice for Iranian forces attacking tankers in the summer of 2019, most notably against the 110,000-dwt Front Altair (built 2016) and the 27,000-dwt Kokuka Courageous (built 2010).
The attack cost the Front Altair's owner, John Fredriksen-backed Frontline, a total of $6m, including $2.3m from repairs and $3.7m in loss of hire.
The attacks were part of a larger swathe of security issues that prompted the US and European nations to send military forces to the region to try to ensure freedom of navigation.
Mines were also used in two recent incidents on tankers in Saudi Arabian waters in the Red Sea, one on the 107,000-dwt Agrari (built 2009) in November and another on the 76,600-dwt BW Rhine (built 2008) last month.
Houthi involvement?
Dryad said both attacks were carried out by the Houthis.
A similar incident took place on 3 October, when the Eastern Mediterranean Maritime-managed 105,300-dwt aframax Syra (built 2010) was hit by a submersible explosive device while at Rudhum, Yemen.
MACNA is part of the Al Blagha Group, a Riyadh-headquartered conglomerate established in 1990 with a focus on shipping, maritime infrastructure, real estate and logistics sectors in the region.
The company operates a fleet of six ro-ro vessels, the two landing craft and three high-speed ferries, plus two larger ro-ros through a joint venture.
