DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Greek-flagged oil tanker sailing in the Red Sea came under repeated attack Wednesday in attacks suspected to be carried out by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, leaving the ship “out of command” and adrift on fire, the British military said.
The most serious attack in the Red Sea in recent weeks came amid a months-long campaign by the Houthis to target shipping over Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip that has disrupted a trade route through which $1 trillion worth of cargo passes every year.
The attack began with men in a small boat opening fire with small arms about 140 kilometres west of the rebel-held Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, according to the British military’s UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre.
It added that four projectiles had also hit the vessel, although it was not immediately clear whether they were drones or missiles.
“The vessel reports that it is no longer in command,” UKMTO said, presumably meaning it has lost all power. “There have been no reports of casualties.”
UKMTO later warned that the ship was adrift and on fire in the Red Sea.
The Greek Ministry of Shipping later identified the ship as the tanker Sounion, which was en route from Iraq to Cyprus and had 25 crew members on board at the time of the attack.
Late on Wednesday, UKMTO reported that a second ship had been attacked in the Gulf of Aden, with three explosions in the waters near the ship but no damage. That ship, the Wind I, came under attack again on Thursday, with two more explosions at sea, UKMTO said.
The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack — which can take hours or even days to acknowledge — but they did acknowledge U.S. airstrikes in Hodeidah and U.S. Central Command said they had destroyed Houthi surface-to-air missile and radar systems.
The Houthis have attacked more than 80 ships with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza began in October, capturing one and sinking two, killing four sailors.
Other missiles and drones were either intercepted by the U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets.
Port operator’s profits fall 60% due to Red Sea attack https://t.co/lKkIVX6fxm
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 15, 2024
The rebels say they are targeting ships linked to Israel, the US and Britain in an effort to end the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, but many of the ships they have attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
The Houthis have also fired drones and missiles at Israel, including an attack on July 19 that killed one person and wounded 10 in Tel Aviv. Israel retaliated the next day with airstrikes on Hodeida, hitting a fuel depot and a power plant, killing and wounding scores, rebels said.
Following the attack, the Houthis suspended their attacks until August 3, when they attacked a Liberian-flagged container ship traveling in the Gulf of Aden. A Liberian-flagged oil tanker came under a particularly violent series of attacks beginning on August 8, suspected to be perpetrated by rebel forces, and a similar attack occurred on August 13.
The three recent attacks, including Wednesday’s, targeted ships linked to Greece’s Delta Tankers.
The U.S. military ordered the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group to travel more quickly to the area as Iran threatened retaliation against Israel over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. U.S. Central Command said early Thursday that the Lincoln had arrived in Middle Eastern waters but gave no further details.
The US also ordered the USS Georgia guided-missile submarine to the Middle East, while the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group was in the Gulf of Oman.
Additional F-22 fighter jets have arrived in the region, and the USS Wasp, a large amphibious assault ship equipped with F-35 fighter jets, is deployed to the Mediterranean.
Shipowner says cargo ship needs armed guards in case of Houthi attacks in Red Seahttps://t.co/0iosKpWYkV
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 5, 2024
