Houthis Strike Saudi Tanker NCC Wafa Near Yanbu as Red Sea Blockade Extends North

Yemen's Houthis said they struck Saudi-flagged tanker NCC Wafa with ballistic missiles on August 5. The attack took place in the northern Red Sea off Yanbu. That is a major Saudi oil export port.

Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said Yemeni forces fired several ballistic missiles at the tanker as part of the group's declared maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, which began on July 22. NCC Wafa was the eighth Saudi tanker the Houthis said they had hit under that campaign.

The Wafa is a 49,990 deadweight-ton medium-range product tanker built in 2014. Bahri, Saudi Arabia's national shipping company, operates it. Yanbu sits roughly 350 kilometres north-northwest of Jeddah, and handles a large share of the kingdom's refined product exports heading through the Red Sea.

Security sources confirmed an attack occurred. Lloyd's List said it could not independently verify whether the tanker was struck by projectiles or determine the extent of any damage. No casualties confirmed.

The Houthis are pushing their strikes further north. Saudi Arabia has been routing tankers up the Red Sea to avoid the southern approaches that came under pressure earlier in the year. Saree said the group plans to close all access routes until Saudi Arabia meets its demands.

MarineRadar recorded a sharp spike in unique-device interest in NCC Wafa after the incident. The tanker appeared as a new entrant in platform trending searches over the past 48 hours.