Houthis Launch Anti-ship Missiles On US-owned Tanker, No Casualties Reported

The Iran-backed Houthis launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles at a U.S.-owned tanker vessel late on Thursday that hit the water close to the vessel but caused zero injuries or damages, per the U.S. military. The most recent incident, amid growing tensions, opened up a new tab in the Red Sea that disrupted worldwide trade and raised fears of a supply bottleneck. It took place close to 9 p.m. Yemen time, per a U.S. Central Command post published on X.

The Houthis declared on Thursday that they were the ones conducting the attack, alleging that their naval missiles delivered “direct hits” on the ship Chem Ranger. The reasonably small chemical tanker departed from the port of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia for Kuwait. Still, the vessel’s AIS went out on Tuesday before going south via Yemen, based on a social media post by TankerTrackers.com.

Over a few weeks, attacks on vessels in and around the Red Sea by Houthis, which is aligned with Iran, have hampered trade between Europe and Asia and terrified global nations, leading to an intensification of the conflict in Gaza. The Houthis say that their actions are an expression of support for the Palestinians in Gaza, whom Israel has attacked.

Joe Biden mentioned on Thursday that the air strikes would go on even as he acknowledged they might not be halting Houthi attacks. The confrontation reportedly risks an expansion of the ongoing conflict beyond the Hamas-led Gaza, where the local health ministry estimates that more than 24,000 individuals or over 1% of Gaza’s total 2.3 million population have already been killed in the Israeli assault.

Israel has launched its offensive after the October 7 attacks by the Palestinian Islamist organization, which Israeli officials state to have killed 1,200 individuals.

Reference: Reuters

Houthis Launch Anti-ship Missiles On US-owned Tanker, No Casualties Reported appeared first on Marine Insight – The Maritime Industry Guide

Source: Maritime Shipping News