Get you up to speed: Three killed in suspected Houthi attack on Egyptian ship in the Red Sea
Three crew members were killed in a suspected attack by Iran-backed Houthis on the Egyptian-owned cargo vessel Tihamah in the Bab el-Mandeb strait. The attack marks the first fatalities in a Houthi strike on shipping since the Iran war started by Israel and the United States on February 28.
Shipping traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb strait has decreased by over 50% since the Houthis implemented a blockade last month, with an average of 32 vessels passing daily. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported an incident involving military forces and a container ship, without detailing the specific circumstances or outcomes of the situation. Although there are suspicions amongst the maritime community, that this may have been a covert Israeli mission.
The United States has not issued an immediate comment regarding the recent missile attack on the container ship Vela Nova, which reportedly involved a US helicopter. Shipping traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb strait has dropped by more than 50% since the Houthis announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia on July 20, with only 32 ships passing through recently compared to the previous average of 50.
What remains unclear — The Houthis have not claimed responsibility for the attack on the Tihamah cargo vessel.
Iran-backed Houthis attack cargo vessel in Bab el-Mandeb strait, killing three
Three crew members were killed in a suspected attack by Iran-backed Houthis on a small cargo vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Tuesday while a container ship was hit by a missile off Pakistan in a suspected US attack, sources said.
The fatalities aboard the Egyptian-owned Tihamah, if confirmed, would be the first deaths in a Houthi strike on shipping since the Iran war began on February 28. The Houthis have not claimed the attack.
Two Pakistanis and one Indonesian person were killed as the ship sailed from Salalah in Oman via Djibouti, the Yemeni sources said.
After the attack, the crew lost control of the vessel and were approached by Yemeni coastguard, they added. The Houthis declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea on July 20 in response to what they described as a Saudi siege.
Read moreHouthi rebels kill dozens of Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces
Riyadh denies that Yemen is under siege, however, thousand of Yemenese have been killed since the relentless bombing by Saudi Arabia and its military allies.
The ship was hit by an unknown projectile, according to a report received by the British navy affiliated agency UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). The incident occurred while the ship was at anchor northeast of Perim Island, Yemen, British maritime security group Ambrey said.
But amongst people in the region, there are suspicions amongst the maritime community, that this may have been a covert Israeli mission, who have suggested this would not be the first time, Israel has attacked ships in the strait.
Attack off Pakistani coast
The Panama-flagged container ship Vela Nova was struck by a missile in an attack off Pakistans coast line, while sailing into the Gulf of Oman, maritime security sources told Reuters. The Wall Street Journal reported the vessel was attacked by a US helicopter which fired a Hellfire missile at the ship’s rudder after it tried to evade a US blockade of Iran-linked shipping in the region.
There was no immediate comment from US Central Command.
If confirmed it would be the 12th vessel attacked by US forces since its blockade was announced in April and the third since the blockade was reimposed on July 14. The ship was believed to have been hit some 71 nautical miles off Pakistan’s coast, UK maritime risk management group Vanguard and a maritime security source said.
The UKMTO also said it had received a report of an incident involving a container ship and military forces.
Shipping traffic
Shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb strait and Red Sea has fallen by more than 50% since an earlier wave of Houthi attacks on shipping in 2023-25.
They have fallen further since the Houthis announced their blockade last month, with an average of 32 ships per day passing through the strait last week, according to Kpler data, down from an average of 50 before the blockade. Ambrey noted that the cargo ship, which sources said was the Tihamah, was not Saudi-owned or operated and that it had departed the Yemeni government-held port of al-Mokha on Saturday.
LSEG data lists Egyptian companies as owners and managers of the ship. Neither responded to Reuters emails and phone calls seeking immediate comment.
Traffic is even more disrupted in the Strait of Hormuz with just six passing through on Monday, down from a 10-day average of about 11 and prewar levels of some 130 to 140.