Unidentified Projectile Strikes Saudi Port of Yanbu, Sparking Fire

An unidentified projectile struck inside the Port of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, on October 1, sparking a fire, according to maritime intelligence firm Clearwater Dynamics. The incident briefly disrupted loading operations on a Liberian-flagged tanker, which resumed shortly afterward.

The vessel's master reported the incident at 13:15, and the alert was classified as an air attack. The affected tanker was not identified, nor was information provided about its owner or the cargo it was carrying. The type of projectile used and its origin were also not confirmed, and reports did not specify whether there were casualties or the extent of damage to the port. Some accounts attributed the attack to Yemen's Houthis targeting Yanbu's North Terminal, but Saudi Aramco and Saudi port authorities did not publicly identify those responsible.

The attack came just days after crude oil loading resumed at Yanbu, following a September 11 drone attack that forced the shutdown of the East-West pipeline, which was reactivated on September 22. By September 29, crude loading at Yanbu was running at a rate of about 2 million barrels per day, while pipeline flow was estimated at between 2 and 2.65 million bpd, well below its maximum capacity of around 7 million bpd.

Tracking data from Lloyd's List Intelligence showed the reappearance in the Red Sea of two VLCCs, the C Brave and the Serifos, loaded with crude after two weeks without an AIS signal. Satellite imagery from September 27 showed at least three VLCCs berthed at Yanbu's crude terminals, and consultancy MSI expected the recovery in shipments at the port to help ease extreme freight premiums in the Middle East.

The episode unfolds amid growing insecurity in Middle East maritime transit, with Iran keeping the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz conditional and the Houthis having seized control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait last month, Reuters reported. Saudi Arabia is preparing an offensive against the Yemeni group to regain control of that waterway, while Brent crude remains above US$100 per barrel amid disruptions to production and exports from Gulf countries.