Ship Hit by Missile in Red Sea as Houthis Vow to Step Up Attacks

(Bloomberg) -- A commercial ship was hit by a missile in the southern Red Sea, according to the UK Navy, in another suspected attack by Houthi militants based in Yemen.

The vessel said it “sustained some damage,” UK Maritime Trade Operations, a part of the navy that provides maritime-security information, said on X. “The crew are reported safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call.”

The assault happened around 4 a.m. local time on Friday and 76 nautical miles (141 kilometers) off the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah. UKMTO did not name the vessel or give more information about it.

It was the second incident in the span of hours as the Iran-backed Houthis vow to expand their campaign of assaults on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Earlier, UKMTO said another ship reported two rockets flying over it.

The Islamist group started attacking warships and merchant vessels in mid-November, saying the move was to pressure Israel to stop its war against Hamas in Gaza.

They’ve continue their drone and missile strikes despite several rounds of US and UK assaults on their military infrastructure in Yemen. Their leader, Abdulmalik al-Houthi, has repeatedly said they’ll continue until Israel pulls out of Gaza.

On Thursday, he said the group will start attacking Israel-linked ships sailing toward the southern tip of Africa and around the Cape of Good Hope.

Many ships sailing between Asia and Europe are taking that route to avoid the Red Sea, adding days to their journeys and increasing freight and fuel costs significantly.

“We intend to ban the sailing of ships connected to Israel even through the Indian Ocean and South Africa via the cape of Good Hope,” al-Houthi said in a speech.

It’s unclear how far from Yemen the Houthis can hit ships. They have claimed missile strikes on southern Israel more than 1,000 miles away, which the Israeli military has been able to intercept.

The attacks claimed their first fatalities this month when three crew members — two from the Philippines and one from Vietnam — died after a missile hit a bulk-commodities carrier called the True Confidence.

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.