A bulk carrier came under fire in the Red Sea this weekend, with gunfire, missiles, and drones used against it by crews on small boats, The National reported today, citing shipping companies. The incident happened near the port city of Hodeidah in Yemen.
Hours after the reported attack, Israel launched missile strikes on Yemeni port cities, the Financial Times reported.
The crew of Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned Magic Seas got rescued by passing ships, the publication noted, adding that this was the first attack on a vessel in the Red Sea since the Yemeni Houthis closed a truce with the United States.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations website reported that “The vessel has been engaged by multiple small vessels who have opened fire with small arms and self-propelled grenades. Armed Security Team have returned fire and situation is ongoing. Authorities are investigating. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.”
The Yemeni Houthis began attacking ships in the Red Sea soon after the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Hamas, which led to a sharp drop in traffic via one of the busiest maritime chokepoints, the Bab el Mandeb strait.
Commercial maritime transport rerouted from Bab el Mandeb to the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, adding weeks to journeys between Europe and Asia and boosting global oil demand due to the larger amount of fuel needed to make the longer journeys.
Later, however, after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire earlier this year, the Houthis said they would reduce their attacks on maritime transport. This changed after Israel fired missiles at Iran last month.
The National reported that the Houthis had threatened to start attacking U.S. targets in the Middle East and step up attacks against Israel as well in response to Israel’s attacks on its larger backer, Iran. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks on Magic Seas.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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