Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said on Tuesday they had fired missiles at two vessels in the Red Sea, causing damage to the ships. The group’s military spokesman said it had fired naval missiles at the Star Nasia and Morning Tide, identifying the Marshall Islands and Barbados-flagged ships, respectively, as American and British.
The Greek-owned Star Nasia, managed by Star Bulk Carrier, was damaged by an explosion at 1115 GMT, a Greek shipping ministry official said, adding that its crew were not injured. It is unclear whether the explosion was caused by a sea mine or a rocket, the official added.
Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency and British maritime security firm Ambrey reported an explosion near a merchant vessel off Yemen’s port of Aden on Tuesday. Ambrey said the southbound Greek-owned bulk carrier had been targeted while heading through the Maritime Security Transit Corridor about 53 nautical miles southwest of Aden, en route from the US to India. Maritime monitoring service TankerTrackers.com said the vessel was carrying US coal to India.
Ambrey said the second vessel, a Barbados-flagged general cargo ship owned by a British company, had suffered damage from an unmanned aerial vehicle while sailing south through the Red Sea. No injuries were reported. The ship performed evasive manoeuvres and continued its journey, it said.