CAIRO: The Houthi militia in Yemen attacked a container ship on Tuesday while it was sailing from King Abdullah Port in Saudi Arabia to Karachi Port in the Red Sea. The ship’s owner said in a statement that there were no casualties on board.
The United VIII was attacked on Tuesday while it was sailing through the Red Sea, according to the Mediterranean Shipping Co. “All crew are safe with no reported injuries and a thorough assessment of the vessel is being conducted,” stated MSC. The ship was traveling to Karachi from King Abdullah Port.
The Houthi militia claimed to have fired missiles at the vessel, without saying it was struck. In a separate statement, the Israeli military said that its aircraft intercepted “hostile aerial target” in the area of the Red Sea. However, the military did not elaborate.
The details of the latest attack are sketchy and it was not immediately known whether the claims by the Houthi militia and the Israeli military were about the same incident. In recent weeks, the Huthis have launched more than 100 drone and missile attacks, targeting several vessels in the Red Sea.
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The Red Sea attacks on ships, since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, have prompted major firms to reroute their cargo vessels around the southern tip of Africa, despite the higher fuel costs of much longer voyages.
On Saturday, a drone strike damaged a ship on its way from Saudi Arabia to India off the coast of Indian state of Gujarat but caused no casualties, two maritime agencies said, with one reporting that the merchant vessel was linked to Israel.
The attack occurred 200 nautical miles southwest of Veraval, India. The Indian navy said it had responded to a request for assistance and a navy warship has been dispatched. On Tuesday, India also reported a blast at close proximity to Israel embassy in New Delhi.
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Simultaneously, a drone was downed near the Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Dahab on Tuesday, two security sources told Reuters. The sources could not confirm its origin. Egypt’s Al Qahera News TV had reported earlier that explosions were heard over Dahab.
“A flying object was downed approximately 2 km from the shores of Dahab,” Al Qahera said, citing witnesses. Earlier in December, Egyptian air defences shot down a suspected drone near Dahab, security sources had said.
