Saudi Arabia, UAE and Norway have sent a joint letter to the United Nations Security Council, drawing attention to an incident in the UAE territorial waters which caused damages to four oil tankers.

 

This came in a joint statement issued yesterday by the Permanent Missions of the three states to the UN regarding attacks on oil tankers, accoridng to a Saudi Press Agency report. 

 

The statement drew UN council's attention to the incident which inflicted grave damage to four oil tankers – two Saudi-flagged, one Norwegian-flagged, and one Emirati-flagged vessel and said: “It is an act of sabotage that affects the safety of international navigation and the security of world oil supplies.”

 

Abdallah Y Al-Mouallimi, permanent representative of Saudi Arabia to the UN, said: “Consequently, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemns in the strongest terms these terrorist attacks and calls upon the international community to take a firm stand towards those responsible for such provocative and subversive operations.

 

"While the attacks did not result in any casualties, or spillage of oil or harmful chemicals, they could have caused serious loss of life and an environmental catastrophe in the Gulf of Oman," Al-Mouallimi added.

 

“We’re glad the crew onboard was unharmed. However, the Norwegian vessel suffered material damages. Norwegian authorities are in the process of assessing the situation, in close cooperation with among others the Emirati authorities,” says Norway’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Mona Juul.

 

The attacks took place within UAE territorial waters, east of the port of Fujairah. Operations at the Port of Fujairah have continued as normal without any interruption. The UAE is taking all steps to protect commercial shipping and maritime traffic and has adopted enhanced maritime safety and security measures in the relevant areas.

 

“These attacks come at a time when responsible stakeholders across the region should work together to lower tensions,” underlined Lana Nusseibeh, ambassador and permanent representative of the UAE to the UN. “The UAE is cooperating closely with Saudi Arabia, Norway, France, and the US to investigate these attacks.”

 

The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Norway also intend to formally notify the International Maritime Organization of these attacks and the threat they pose to international shipping, the report said.