An incident involving a merchant vessel off the rebel-held port city of Hodeida in Yemen occurred on Wednesday, where three projectiles struck the ship, resulting in a fire onboard and causing the vessel to lose engine power, as reported by a British maritime security agency.
Initial engagement involved the ship exchanging fire with two small boats, one of which carried three to five individuals while the other had around 10 onboard, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.
The agency, which is managed by Britain’s Royal Navy, stated that after being fired upon by two unidentified projectiles, the ship was hit by a third missile.
Confirming the incident, the UKMTO indicated that the vessel was now engulfed in flames and unable to operate due to engine failure. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported.
The ship in question, identified as the Greek-flagged Sounion, is an oil products tanker owned by Delta Tankers, a Greek shipping company, according to a spokesperson from the Greek port authority.
Carrying a crew of 25 individuals, primarily Filipinos, the vessel had departed from Iraq and was heading towards a port close to Athens, where several refineries are located, as disclosed by the Greek port authority.
There have been no reports of injuries so far. The port authority raised the possibility of the ship being targeted by either missiles or drones.
In a separate event near the Yemeni port city of Aden, another ship encountered two explosions in the water nearby, as reported by UKMTO.
Fortunately, the crew is safe, and the vessel is continuing its voyage to the next designated port, as per the agency.
Although no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks at this time, they coincide with the continued nine-month assault by Iran-backed Huthi rebels on international shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which they claim is in support of Gaza.
Their series of rocket and drone attacks have severely impacted maritime traffic in the Red Sea, an area that typically facilitates up to 12% of global trade.
Security teams have been deployed on numerous merchant vessels navigating through the Red Sea in response to these incidents.
In response to the assaults, the United States and Britain have targeted Huthi positions in Yemen since January. However, these efforts have had minimal impact on deterring the rebels.
AFP