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Ulviyya Poladova

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Fresh strikes in Saudi Arabia and attacks on vessels in the Gulf have heightened fears of further disruption to global energy supplies, as tensions around key oil and shipping routes intensified on Sunday.

Oil traders are bracing for higher prices when markets reopen on Monday after a series of weekend incidents raised concerns over supplies from Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter.

The latest escalation came in the Gulf, where the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said on Sunday that a vessel was struck by a projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The incident sparked a fire and forced the crew to evacuate.

Iran separately reported that one person was killed and four crew members were wounded after an Iranian commercial vessel was struck off the country's coast.

In Saudi Arabia, state media released footage showing damage to homes and a mosque in Jazan province following what officials described as another cross-border attack by Yemen's Houthi militants. The Houthis separately claimed to have targeted a Saudi military base in a neighbouring province.

The latest attacks followed a series of alerts in southern Saudi Arabia over the past week. On Friday, drone strikes reportedly disrupted the 745-mile East-West Pipeline, a crucial route designed to transport Saudi oil to the Red Sea while bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.

The pipeline is strategically important because it provides Saudi Arabia with an alternative export route should shipping through the Strait of Hormuz face prolonged disruption.

The situation also deteriorated around the Bab el-Mandeb, the strategic waterway linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. On Friday, the Houthis claimed control of Perim Island, which sits in the middle of the strait.

The developments have raised fresh concerns over the vulnerability of the Middle East's major energy corridors, with the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb both playing critical roles in global oil and shipping flows.

With attacks now affecting both land-based energy infrastructure and maritime routes, traders are watching closely for signs that the disruption could spread further across the region.