SANAA: A Greek-owned cargo ship became the latest target of a missile attack off Yemen, as reported by a maritime risk management company on Tuesday. This incident follows a series of attacks in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, escalating tensions in the region.
According to Ambrey, the cargo ship, flying the Malta flag and owned by a Greek company, was struck by a missile while transiting the southern Red Sea in a northbound direction. The vessel, which had previously visited Israel since the start of the Israeli offensive in Gaza, was en route to Suez. Following the missile impact, the ship altered its course and headed to port, Ambrey stated in an alert.
There has been no immediate comment from the Houthis, who were responsible for attacks on American vessels on Sunday and Monday following retaliatory strikes by the US and UK on their locations in Yemen last week.
The recent attack comes in the wake of heightened tensions in the Red Sea, with Houthi rebels targeting vessels linked to Israel. Notably, on Sunday, US forces intercepted a Houthi cruise missile targeting an American destroyer, and on Monday, a US-owned cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman was hit by another rebel missile.
Red Sea Tensions
In response to the Red Sea attacks disrupting shipping in the vital waterway, the United States and the United Kingdom conducted strikes on various sites in Houthi controlled areas of Yemen on Friday. This retaliation prompted the Houthis to declare US and British interests as “legitimate targets.”
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a maritime security agency managed by the British navy, also reported an “incident” in an area northwest of Saleef in Yemen, without providing additional details.
The tensions in the Red Sea are also affecting global trade, particularly liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments. Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, warned at the World Economic Forum in Davos that LNG shipments would be impacted by the Red Sea tensions. He emphasized that military intervention might exacerbate the crisis and called for alternative routes to be considered, noting that some shipping companies are now taking a major detour around southern Africa instead of using the key route between Asia and European markets.
