The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said Houthi rebels have attacked a Saudi oil tanker, causing "minor damage".
The coalition statement said the attack occurred in international waters on Tuesday near the Red Sea port of Hodeida.
The coalition said a naval ship belonging to a member country rapidly intervened, without giving further details.
Spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said a coalition naval ship accompanied the oil tanker until it completed its navigation north.
Col al-Malki described it as a "terrorist attack" that threatens ships entering the vital Bab al-Mandeb strait, used for oil shipments from the Gulf to Europe.
Pictures carried by state-run Saudi al-Ekhbariya TV showed a hole ripped through the side of the ship but no oil leaking out.
The Houthis have in the past targeted military ships belonging to coalition partners Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, but the attacks have failed to cause any substantial damage.
Tuesday's attack came one day after an air strike by the Saudi-led coalition killed at least 14 people near Hodeida.
The air strike hit a compound housing displaced people in the town of al-Hami. Deputy health minister Walid al-Emmad said at least eight women and five girls were among those killed.
