Al-Shuqaiq

Al-Shuqaiq is a Red Sea coastal town in Saudi Arabia's Jazan Province, close to the country's border with Yemen. On 24 July 2026 the Saudi-flagged tanker NCC Masa was struck roughly 70 nautical miles southwest of the town, taking minor hull damage; the crew were unhurt and the vessel continued its voyage after safety checks.

The town sits about 150km north of Jazan city, downcoast from the larger industrial hub, and is best known outside this war for the Shuqaiq desalination complex, whose Shuqaiq 3 and Shuqaiq 4 plants together produce roughly 850,000 cubic metres of drinking water a day. The Saudi Press Agency framed the tanker strike as the first vessel hit since the Houthis declared a blockade on Saudi-linked shipping on 20 July.

The strike places Al-Shuqaiq alongside Jazan and the Bab al-Mandab strait among the Red Sea points now drawn into the wider Saudi-Houthi exchange, part of a pattern of attacks on shipping and infrastructure along Saudi Arabia's southern coast since Houthi forces widened their campaign beyond the strait.