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Another vessel hit in Red Sea, as Houthi strikes and hoax claims intensify
Yemen’s Houthi rebel forces have launched a series of both genuine attacks and false or unverified claims of strikes on vessels in recent days
One of the vessels that has been confirmed to have been hit by a strike from Yemen’s Houthi milita is Stealth Maritime’s capesize bulk carrier Transworld Navigator.
The United States military’s central command (USCENTCOM) released a statement saying the 178,000-dwt, 2010-built vessel had been hit by "a suspected uncrewed aerial system attack", resulting in injuries to crew and damage to the vessel.
"Today, at 04:00 am (Sanaa time), the crew reported minor injuries and moderate damage to the ship, but the vessel has continued underway. Transworld Navigator most recently docked in Malaysia and was en route to Egypt. This marks the fourth attack by Iran-backed Houthis on Transworld Navigator," the US military service said.
The vessel reportedly came under attack on 21 June while transiting the Gulf of Aden, with the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) service reporting that incident and the later attack on 23 June.
On 23 June, UKMTO also reported a safety of life at sea (SOLAS) incident when the master of a vessel 96 nautical miles southeast of Nishtun, Yemen, issued a distress call due to severe flooding "that cannot be contained".
"A merchant vessel is reported to have suffered flooding that cannot be contained. This has forced the master and crew to abandon the ship. They have been recovered by an assisting ship. The abandoned vessel remains adrift," UKMTO said.
UKMTO reported a separate explosion in the vicinity of another vessel some 246 nautical miles southeast of Nishtun, Yemen, with no damage.
On 22 June, the day before the most recent attacks on vessels escalated, USCENTCOM said the US aircraft carrier USS Dwight D Eisenhower was on its way out of the region.
"Flying over 30,000 hours and sailing over 55,000 miles, IKE CSG demonstrated our commitment to regional stability and protected freedom of navigation throughout the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. IKE CSG also upheld its commitment to the safety of all seafarers, rescuing mariners in distress on several occasions following unprovoked attacks on innocent mariners by Iranian-backed Houthis," USCENTCOM said.
Following completion of a scheduled exercise in the Indo-Pacific, the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group will replace USS Dwight D Eisenhower in patrolling the region.
Further Houthi claims
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed to have fired cruise missiles at a Stolt Tankers chemical carrier in the Indian Ocean, but that claim was refuted by Stolt Tankers in a statement to maritime trade journal Tradewinds.
The Houthi spokesman also claimed in a post on social media that the Houthis had conducted a joint military operation with another Iran-backed rebel group targeting ships in the Mediterranean as well as in the Israeli port of Haifa.
The claimed attack on a livestock carrier in the Mediterranean has been refuted by vessel operator Vroon, according to Tradewinds.
The Israeli military have not issued a statement on the claimed attack on vessels in the port of Haifa.
In a claim thought to be legitimate, Houthi rebel forces have released video footage purporting to show the sinking of the abandoned and drifting 82,000-dwt bulk carrier Tutor in the Red Sea.
Tutor, a 82,000-dwt bulk carrier owned by Greek firm Evalend Shipping, was badly damaged following a drone and missile attack. At least one Filipino crew member died in the incident and another is reportedly severely injured.
In the Houthi video, a narrator warns that "what’s coming is greater". In May, after a brief period of relative calm, the group warned it would be initiating a "fourth phase" in its missile and drone attacks on merchant ships in the region.
Another vessel struck by the Houthis last week, a small bulk carrier Verbena, is feared to have sunk after the vessel caught fire.
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