Indian-flagged oil tanker hit by ‘one-way attack drone’ in Red Sea, says US
An Indian-flagged oil tanker reported that it was hit by a “one-way attack drone” fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, the US military said on Sunday.
MV Saibaba, a Gabon-owned tanker, reported no injuries following reports of the attack received by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) at 8 pm (Yemen time) on Friday. The CENTCOM said a US warship, Laboon, responded to the distress call from the drone attack.
Another ship, MV Blaamanen, a Norwegian-flagged, owned, and operated chemical/oil tanker, reported a near miss of a Houthi one-way attack drone with no injuries or damage reported, CENTCOM said.
The US military shot down four drones headed towards a US destroyer in the southern Red Sea and launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
“These attacks represent the 14th and 15th attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since October 17,” CENTCOM said on X.
Two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles were also “fired into international shipping lanes in the Southern Red Sea from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen”, it said, adding, “No ships reported being impacted by the ballistic missiles.”
The incident came close on the heels of a drone hitting an Israel-affiliated merchant vessel off the coast of Gujarat, which, the US alleged, was “fired from Iran”. The vessel had around 20 Indian crew and was carrying crude oil from the Al Jubail port in Saudi Arabia to New Mangalore port in Karnataka.
The Iran-backed Houthis, who control much of Yemen, have disrupted world trade for weeks with attacks on ships passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea in what they say is a response to Israel’s war in Gaza.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency earlier reported that an uncrewed aerial system had exploded near a vessel in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, 45 nautical miles southwest of Saleef, Yemen.
The US launched Operation Prosperity Guardian three days ago, saying more than a dozen countries had agreed to participate in an effort that will involve joint patrols in Red Sea waters near Yemen.