A Greek-owned oil tanker at the port of Shuqaiq in Saudi Arabia has been attacked Thursday, Greek officials said.
The explosion was allegedly a result of an attack by Yemeni rebels.
Greek-based company TMS Tanker said one of its ships, the Agrari, was attacked by "an unknown source" as it was preparing to depart from the Red Sea port of Shuqaiq. The company said that no deaths or injuries were reported.
"The Agrari was struck about a meter above the waterline and has suffered a breach. It has been confirmed that the crew is safe and there have been no injuries. No pollution has been reported," TMS said in a statement.
Saudi authorities and the country's coast guard are investigating. Officers have boarded the vessel crewed by 25 men, including seven Greeks.
Greece's merchant marine ministry said the explosion happened early Thursday but the cause of the blast has yet to be identified. The vessel was carrying no cargo.
The Saudi-led military coalition alleged the attack may have been a foiled "terrorist act" by rebels. The explosion was preceded by similar attacks by Iran-linked rebels on oil infrastructures in Saudi Arabia.
The coalition claimed that the attack was conducted using a "booby-trapped boat" launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels. Saudi military officials claimed they were able to intercept and destroy the rebel boat.
London-based intelligence company Dryad Global confirmed the military coalition's claims and said the blast was caused by the destruction of a water-borne improvised explosive device.
"Vessels transiting the Red Sea area are reminded that regional conflicts exist whereby there is a realistic possibility that vessels of Saudi flag and those calling at southern Saudi ports are at moderate risk," Dryad Global said in a statement.
Earlier in the week, Houthi rebels destroyed a facility in the western city of Jeddah owned by Saudi Arabian Oil Co. The group said it hit the facility with Quds-2 missiles. A day before the oil tanker attack, the Saudi-led coalition claimed it destroyed five naval mines planted by Houthi rebels.
