News - Middle East - Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia claims its navy forces have intercepted and destroyed a “remote-controlled explosive-laden” boat off its Red Sea port of Yanbu.

The Saudi Defense Ministry reported a “hostile attempt” in the area in a statement issued on Tuesday and said it was investigating the case, without giving further details.

Earlier in the day, Private maritime security firm Dryad Global said there had been “unconfirmed reports” of an attack on a ship off Yanbu.

It said the targeted vessel could have been the oil tanker NCC Dammam, owned by a unit of the National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri).

The company’s chief executive Abdullah Aldubaikhi, however, told Reuters that no vessels owned by the company had been attacked.

The kingdom has, in the past, reported several incidents allegedly involving such vessels in its coastal waters.

According to Saudi sources, the latest such development came last December, when a tanker was hit by one such boat off the port city of Jeddah.

Earlier, an explosion had also allegedly targeted a tanker at another Saudi terminal on the Red Sea.

Source: Press TV