Picture shown is for illustrative purposes only.

Four commercial ships were subjected to sabotage operations on Sunday, near UAE territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, east of Fujairah, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, MOFAIC, has announced.

Arabs condemn sabotaging of commercial ships in UAE

The Ministry said that the concerned authorities have taken all necessary measures, and are investigating the incident in cooperation with local and international bodies.

It said that there had been no injuries or fatalities on board the vessels and that there had been no spillage of harmful chemicals or fuel.

The MOFAIC statement said that the carrying out acts of sabotage on commercial and civilian vessels and threatening the safety and lives of those on board is a serious development. It called on the international community to assume its responsibilities to prevent such actions by parties attempting to undermine maritime traffic safety and security.

Fishermen cross the sea waters off Fujairah. File Photo

The Ministry also described as ‘baseless and unfounded’ rumours earlier on Sunday, of incidents taking place within the Port of Fujairah, saying that operations within the port were under way as normal, without any interruption.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has expressed its condemnation of the acts of sabotage that targeted commercial and civilian vessels near the UAE territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, off the coast of Fujairah.

The Saudi Press Agency, SPA, quoted an official source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia as saying that this criminal act poses a serious threat to the security and safety of maritime traffic, which reflects negatively on regional and international peace and security.

The source also expressed the solidarity of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its stand alongside the UAE in all measures taken to safeguard its security and interests.

WAM