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Anwar Gargash denounces Houthis after Saudi oil tankers attack

Riyadh - Export through the route will be halted until the situation becomes clearer.

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Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, affirmed the need to free Hodeida of the Houthi militias on his official twitter handle on Thursday.
His post reads: "The attack on the two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea reinforces the need to free Hodeida from the Houthi militia forces. The systematic attack on maritime traffic is a terrorist act which is an expression of the uncontrollable, aggressive nature of Houthis."   
 

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This was after top oil exporter Saudi Arabia said on Thursday it was "temporarily halting" all oil shipments through the strategic Red Sea shipping lane of Bab Al Mandeb after an attack on two big oil tankers by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement.
Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al Falih said in a statement sent by his ministry that the Houthis had attacked two Saudi Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) in the Red Sea on Wednesday morning, one of which sustained minimal damage.
"Saudi Arabia is temporarily halting all oil shipments through Bab Al Mandeb Strait immediately until the situation becomes clearer and the maritime transit through Bab Al Mandeb is safe," the statement said.
The Bab Al Mandeb strait, where the Red Sea meets the Gulf of Aden in the Arabian Sea, is only 20km wide, making hundreds of ships potentially an easy target. 
The ministry statement said both tankers that were attacked were operated by Saudi shipping company Bahri, which had earlier said that one of its VLCCs had suffered minor damage in an incident in the Red Sea, without elaborating. 
"The two million barrels capacity for each tanker were full of crude oil cargo at the time and were headed for export. One of the VLCCs sustained minimal damage," Falih said. 
"Fortunately, there were no injuries or oil spill that would have resulted in catastrophic environmental damage. Efforts are currently underway to move the damaged ship to the nearest Saudi port."
Attack failed
One of the coalition's main justifications for intervening in Yemen's war in 2015 was to protect shipping routes such as the Red Sea. It has said it foiled previous attacks there in April and May. 
The coalition said in a statement carried by Saudi state media on Wednesday that the Houthi movement had attacked one oil tanker west of Yemen's Hodeidah port, but did not name the vessel or describe how it was attacked. 
"Thankfully the attack failed due to immediate intervention of the Coalition's fleet," it said without providing details. 
The Houthis, who have also launched missile attacks on Saudi cities, including the capital Riyadh, have threatened to block the strait of Bab Al Mandeb several times to force the coalition to stop its air strikes.