A drone ship carrying explosives collided with a tanker in the Red Sea
A drone ship carrying explosives collided with a tanker while sailing off the coast of Yemen, indicating that Israeli airstrikes have not stopped the country’s Houthi militants from attacking commercial ships.
The 900-foot-long vessel was rammed by an unmanned surface vessel 64 nautical miles northwest of the rebel-held port city of Hodeidah, the British naval liaison office in the region said on Twitter. The accident punctured a water storage tank to stabilize the cargo ship while unloading.
Equasis, an international maritime database, shows that the director of the Cordelia Moon is an Indian company called Margao Marine Solutions. An email sent to the company, the only contact listed, went unanswered. His insurer is unknown, according to a database maintained by S&P Global.
The captain reported that the crew was safe and the ship was heading to its next port of call, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre, which communicates with merchant ships in the region.
Second attack
UKMTO also reported a second attack, 97 nautical miles northwest of Hodeidah, targeting another vessel.
The captain said a missile hit the ship. The ship was damaged. All crew members are reportedly safe. “The authorities are investigating the matter,” he added.
The Panama-flagged vessel Cordelia Moon (IMO: 9297888) was one of two vessels attacked by Houthi forces this morning.
An anti-missile missile also hit the Minos Valor.
The alleged attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels would be the first attack on commercial ships in weeks. Israeli warplanes bombed a seaport and several power stations in Yemen, the Israeli occupation forces said on Sunday.
The Houthis, one of several networks of Islamic militant groups backed by Iran, began attacking Red Sea ships in late 2023 in response to Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza.
They continue to launch attacks even as the United States and its allies launch air strikes to stop the rebels. Many shipping companies send ships on longer routes to avoid the area. Insurance costs have risen sharply.
The Houthis say they are attacking ships linked to Israel and the West in solidarity with the Palestinians and amid fears of a regional conflict as the Gaza war enters its first year.
The attacks come as Israeli ground forces enter Lebanon and send soldiers to southern Lebanon. At the same time, air strikes are being carried out on Beirut’s southern suburbs, raising the risk of a wider regional conflict. The escalation comes days after an Israeli airstrike killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other senior officials.
On Monday, the Houthis threatened to “step up military operations against Israel.”
