NEW YORK: The permanent missions of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Norway to the UN have sent a joint letter to the Security Council about the recent incident in which four oil tankers were attacked and damaged in Emirati territorial waters.
Two of the tankers were Saudi-flagged, one was Norwegian-flagged and one was Emirati-flagged. “It is an act of sabotage that affects the safety of international navigation and the security of world oil supplies,” said Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, Saudi ambassador to the UN.
“Consequently, Saudi Arabia condemns in the strongest terms these terrorist attacks and calls upon the international community to take a firm stand toward those responsible for such provocative and subversive operations,” he added.
“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.”
Norway’s ambassador to the UN, Mona Juul, said: “We’re glad the crew onboard was unharmed. However, the Norwegian vessel suffered material damages.”
She added: “Norwegian authorities are in the process of assessing the situation, in close cooperation with, among others, the Emirati authorities.”
The attacks took place east of the Emirati port of Fujairah. Operations at the port have continued as normal without interruption. The UAE has adopted enhanced maritime safety and security measures.
“These attacks come at a time when responsible stakeholders across the region should work together to lower tensions,” said Lana Nusseibeh, UAE ambassador to the UN.
