The Government of Maldives unequivocally has condemned the act of sabotage which targeted commercial and civilian vessels near the territorial waters of the UAE, east of Fujairah, in the Gulf of Oman on Sunday, 12 May 2019.
In a statement issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Government of Maldives said it stands in solidarity with UAE in its dedication to safeguard the security and interests in its territorial waters. The Government of Maldives also denounced all such acts threatening the safety and stability of maritime navigation and urges the international community to assume its responsibility to guarantee the safety of maritime navigation and confront all attempts to undermine international peace and security.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia said two of its oil tankers were among those attacked off the coast of the UAE and described it as an attempt to undermine the security of crude supplies amid tensions between the United States and Iran.
On Sunday, the UAE said four commercial vessels were sabotaged near Fujairah emirate, one of the world's largest bunkering hubs lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz. It did not describe the nature of the attack or say who was behind it.
The UAE had not given the nationalities or other details about the ownership of the four vessels. Riyadh has identified two of them as Saudi and a Norwegian company said it owned another. The fourth vessel was a UAE-flagged fuel bunker barge.