An additional report indicates a fire that broke out in the forward section of the ship, with its crew working to extinguish the blaze.

Footage from the scene shows smoke billowing from the vessel.

The Iranian-aligned Houthis on Thursday claimed military strikes on two Saudi oil tankers as part of ​a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, further raising the risk of a second chokehold on world oil supplies at the Red Sea in coordination with Iran's attempt to control the Strait of ‌Hormuz.