Out of 100.. A sequence of the worst Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea in 10 months

Over the past 10 months, Houthi militias have carried out dozens of attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea with missiles and sea and air drones from areas under their control in Yemen.

The Iran-backed Houthis say the ships they target are linked to or heading to Israel in what they see as support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where a bloody war has been raging since October 7, 2023, between the Hebrew state and the Hamas movement.

Since the United States and Britain launched joint strikes on their positions in Yemen, the Houthis have targeted ships they believe are linked to the two countries. But out of about 100 ships targeted, according to a count by the Joint Maritime Information Center, which is run by a Western naval coalition, only a few attacks have caused casualties or serious damage, in what are the worst operations carried out by the Houthis.

Worst Houthi attacks:

On November 19, 2023, the Houthis boarded the ship Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea and hijacked it with its 25-member crew of different nationalities. They took the ship to the port of Al-Salif in the Hodeidah governorate, which is under their control, and quickly raised the flags of Yemen and Palestine on it, as well as slogans denouncing Israel and the United States, and began organizing visits for Yemenis on board.

The vessel is a vehicle carrier operated by a Japanese company and owned by a British company linked to an Israeli businessman. The crew members are still being held by the Houthis. They were pictured with Palestinian keffiyehs wrapped around their shoulders as they met a delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross in May.

This operation was the first of their attacks on ships, which intensified in the following months, despite Washington forming an international coalition to “protect” maritime navigation in December 2023 and launching joint strikes with London to deter them since last January.

Then on Feb. 18, a missile attack badly damaged the MV Rubimar in the Red Sea, prompting the evacuation of its 24-member crew to nearby Djibouti. The attack on the Lebanese-operated cargo ship caused water to leak into the vessel and left an 18-mile-long oil slick, raising fears of an environmental disaster.

After attempts to tow it to a safe port failed, the ship sank on March 1 with its cargo of 22,000 tons of ammonium phosphate fertiliser, raising fears of an environmental disaster in the Red Sea. The United Nations has sent experts to assess the risks.

On March 8, Lucidr, a UN-mandated organization, confirmed that the sinking of the Rubimar did not pose an “immediate risk” to the environment.

On March 6, missiles hit the MV True Confidence in the Gulf of Aden, killing three crew members, including two Filipinos, and wounding at least four others. The Indian Navy evacuated the 21 crew members, including 13 Filipinos, to Djibouti. The badly damaged Liberian-owned bulk carrier was towed to Duqm port in Oman.

On June 12, the Tutor ship was severely damaged by a Houthi attack in the Red Sea, killing one of its Filipino crew members. The attack caused water to leak into the ship and forced the evacuation of its crew. Days later, the Greek-owned cargo ship sank, becoming the second ship to sink in Houthi attacks. The nature of its cargo is unknown.

On August 21, an attack on the ship “Sunion” off the coast of Hodeidah caused a fire on board and the loss of engine power. The following day, a French frigate from the European naval mission in the Red Sea, “Aspedes”, evacuated the 25-member crew to Djibouti, and the Greek ship, carrying 150,000 tons of crude oil, became a “navigational and environmental hazard”.

Days later, the Houthis released a video showing the oil tanker being rigged with explosives and detonated, causing several fires on board, before it was “allowed” to be towed. On September 3, Aspedas announced that “conditions are not favorable” for towing the burning tanker, warning of the possibility of an “unprecedented” environmental disaster in the region.

Source: AFP