Saudis Reveal Tanker Blast A "Terror Attack" By Booby-Trapped Boat Bomb Tyler Durden Mon, 12/14/2020 - 13:05 We reported earlier that the Singapore-flagged BW Rhine, a chemical tanker hauling gasoline, suffered an explosion early Monday after being hit by "an external source," according to the tanker company under the BW Group that owns and operates the vessel, Haifna. Saudi state media is now calling it a "terrorist" attack, saying the tanker was approached by an explosives-laden boat which detonated. https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); Official in Saudi Ministry of Energy said the explosion in the tanker at Jeddah was a terrorist attack pic.twitter.com/sPpX2MduUQ — Guy Elster (@guyelster) https://twitter.com/guyelster/status/1338486889721028609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); "A fuel transport ship, anchored in the fuel terminal in Jeddah, was attacked by an explosive-laden boat in the early hours of this morning," the official Saudi Press Agency SPA says. A Saudi energy ministry spokesman was quoted as source of the new details. However, the energy ministry didn't name a culprit for the attack which is the second such incident targeting tankers off the Saudi coast in the Red Sea in under three weeks. There were 22 sailors aboard the BW Rhine when it was struck and caught on fire, all of which managed to escape without injury, according to the operating company. Shipping company Hafnia said on Monday that one of its oil tankers, the BW Rhine, had been hit by an unidentified "external source" that caused fire and explosion while the ship was discharging at Jeddah port in Saudi Arabia.https://t.co/lSA8GCEIc3 — GMA News (@gmanews) https://twitter.com/gmanews/status/1338390769481240583?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); Citing local reports, UK media details that: The Singapore-flagged tanker was loaded with 60,000 tonnes of gasoline on December 6 and was still 84 per cent full when the blaze took hold. At maximum capacity it can take 80,000 tonnes but the company didn't believe it had leaked despite damage from the fire. The Islamic Republic will no doubt come under immediate suspicion of sponsoring such a disruptive attack on oil transit operations. This is especially because its elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has recently vowed to do just that if it perceives Iran or the "Islamic Revolution" is under threat. However, Yemen's Shia Houthis have in the past specifically targeted tankers in the nearby Red Sea. The Houthis are widely believed to have taken orders from Tehran in past attacks on Saudi interests or facilities. Reup in light of reports of booby-trapped boat bomb in Jeddah..... Rouhani’s Threat to Shut the Strait of Hormuz—More Than Bluster? - https://twitter.com/WashInstitute?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); https://t.co/mz97UjCrze — Matthew Levitt (@Levitt_Matt) https://twitter.com/Levitt_Matt/status/1338514400882388993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); Maritime security firm Dryad Global said if Houthis were behind the attack, it "would represent a fundamental shift in both targeting capabilities and intent." Override Early Access On