Yemen's Houthis arrived on Friday an oil tanker in the waters of the Gulf of Aden, as confirmed by ship operator Trafigura. The United Kingdom Maritime Operations Unit (UKMTO) located the incident at a distance of 110 kilometers southeast of Aden.
The commodities trading company, one of the largest companies in the industry, told the BBC that the attack was caused by Iran-backed Yemeni rebels a fire in one of the ship's cargo tanks that his team was trying to contain. No injuries were reported.
The ship flying the Marshall Islands flag was hit by a ship an anti-ship ballistic missile, according to the American television station CBS. A North American Navy ship responded to the distress signal. The UKMTO has advised other vessels to proceed with caution and report any suspicious activity.
“On-board firefighting equipment is being used to extinguish and control the fire that originated in a cargo tank on the running board side,” Trafigura reported. “The safety of the crew is our top priority. “We remain in contact with the ship and are closely monitoring the situation.”
This is the latest Houthi attack in and around the Red Sea. The military spokesman for the insurgents, Yaha SareaThe group used “a number of appropriate naval missiles” and attacked “directly,” it said.
On Wednesday, Maersk, one of the world's largest container shipping companies, confirmed that two ships from its US subsidiary were escorted by the US Navy as part of a planned northbound transit operation in the Bab el Mandeb region. “During the journey, both ships reported seeing explosions nearby and the US Navy escort intercepted several projectiles,” the Danish giant said.