A Singaporean-flagged cargo vessel was hit by Yemen’s Houthi missiles in the Gulf of Aden on Friday, forcing it to return to its last port of call to assess the damage.
Iran-aligned Houthis launched ballistic missiles and drones towards the ship, their military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a televised speech.
The vessel was hit 83 nautical miles southeast of Yemen’s port city of Aden on two separate occasions by two missiles on its port side, with the extent of the damage to be established, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.
Houthi-Stricken Cargo Carrier’s Crew Abandons Ship Due to Fire
The ship was deemed seaworthy, and all crew were reported safe, but it will return to the last port of call, UKMTO added.
“The ship was transiting northeast along the Gulf of Aden when a merchant vessel in the vicinity observed ‘light and blast’ where the ship was located,” British security firm Ambrey said.
The ship appeared to perform evasive maneuvers immediately and switch off her automatic identification system approximately an hour later, Ambrey said.
Since November, Houthi militants in Yemen have launched drone and missile strikes in shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The group has said its actions are in solidarity with Palestinians affected by Israel’s war in Gaza.
The group has sunk two vessels and seized another, killed at least three sailors and severely disrupted global trade by forcing ship owners to avoid the Suez Canal trade shortcut.
On Tuesday, Liberia-flagged oil tanker Chios Lion was forced to turn back to assess damage and investigate a potential oil spill after being attacked by the group in the Red Sea.
Britain and the U.S. have conducted retaliatory strikes since February, shooting down drones and bombing attack sites in Yemen.
(Reporting by Hatem Maher in Cairo, Clauda Tanios, Ahmed Elimam Nadine Awadalla and Nayera Abdallah in Dubai; editing by Christian Schmollinger, Christopher Cushing, Christina Fincher and Barbara Lewis)
Photograph: In this photograph released by the U.S. Navy, the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is seen on July 4, 2024, in the South China Sea. The Roosevelt replaced the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Navy’s campaign against attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeting shipping in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. (Seaman Ryan Holloway/U.S. Navy, via AP)
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