Cargo Ship Abandoned By Crew After Houthi Missile Attack Off Yemen

A missile attack launched by the Houthis from Yemen on Tuesday impaired a Belize-flagged vessel that was sailing via the waters of Bab el-Mandeb Strait that links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, compelling the crew members to abandon the ship. Yet another ship in the waters of the Gulf of Aden was attacked two times.

The Houthis, whom Iran reportedly supports, have claimed that they had shot down a US-based MQ-9 Reaper drone, even though this has not yet been confirmed by the US forces in the zone. However, the Houthis have earlier downed the US drones. To respond to the attacks, the American military has also conducted new airstrikes to target the rebels. One of the airstrikes targeted the first-ever underwater drone the Houthis used, one that has been spotted since the rebels began launching massive attacks on worldwide shipping last year in November.

Cargo Ship

The vessel that was strategically targeted in the Houthi’s Sunday attack sustained damages from an explosion close to the vessel, as informed by the UK Maritime Trade Operations Center. Houthi Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree has also claimed full responsibility for this attack and mentioned that the vessel had sunk. Yet, there is no confirmation about this. The ship in question is Rubymar, a cargo vessel registered with Britain and operated by a Lebanese firm. It was sailing to Bulgaria and departing from Khorfakkan, located in the UAE.

The vessel had switched off its Automatic Identification System tracker in the Persian Gulf earlier in the month. Besides this particular attack, another vessel was also attacked in the Gulf of Aden. This vessel is a US-owned, Greek-flagged bulk carrier loaded with grains from Argentina and sailing for Aden in Yemen. Ship-tracking information helped identify the vessel as a Sea Champion. The Houthis later on claimed full responsibility for this attack but stated that it was targeting a different vessel.

The vessel Sea Champion was attacked two times in a day. Since 2023 (November), the Houthis have been constantly targeting innumerable ships in the Red Sea and encircling waters as a response to Israel’s war against Hamas. The attacks have put trade paths at high risk, as they occur in a fundamental route for global trade between Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

Reference: TOI

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