Suspected attack by Houthi terrorists sets off explosions ahead of a ship in the Gulf of Aden

The Associated Press

9 months ago

This black-and-white image released by the U.S. military’s Central Command shows the fire aboard the bulk carrier True Confidence after a missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. A missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday killed three of its crew members and forced survivors to abandon the vessel, the U.S. military said. It was the first fatal strike in a campaign of assaults by the Iranian-backed group over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (U.S. Central Command via AP)

The bulk carrier True Confidence is seen at Shimizu Port in Japan on July 6, 2023. A missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on the ship in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, killed three of its crew members and forced survivors to abandon the vessel, the U.S. military said. It was the first fatal strike in a campaign of assaults by the Iranian-backed group over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (Yohei Mitsugi via AP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi terrorists on Friday set off explosions ahead of a vessel in the Gulf of Aden, authorities said.

No one was hurt on the ship, which continued on its way, according to the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Operations center, which watches over Middle East’s waterways. The private security firm Ambrey also separately reported the attack.

The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack; it typically takes them several hours before they acknowledge their assaults.

Friday’s explosions came after a Houthi missile struck a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, killing three of its crew members and forcing survivors to abandon the vessel.

Two seafarers from the Philippines and another from Vietnam were killed by the Houthi missile attack, according to a statement from the vessel’s owners.

Another two Filipino crew members were “severely injured,” the nation’s Department of Migrant Workers said separately.

The ship — a bulk commodities carrier called the True Confidence — has been abandoned, and is drifting well away from land while salvage efforts are arranged, according to its owners. All of the ship’s crew were taken to Djibouti by an Indian navy vessel that arrived late Wednesday, and the injured have been transfered to a local hospital.

“It is deeply saddening to follow the horrific reports of the casualties on the merchant vessel True Confidence,” Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization, said in a statement. “Innocent seafarers should never become collateral victims.”

The True Confidence had a crew of 20, comprising one Indian, four Vietnamese and 15 Filipino nationals. Three armed guards — two from Sri Lanka and one from Nepal — were also on board, according its owners.

It was the first fatal strike in a campaign of assaults by the Iranian-backed terrorist group over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Iran has vowed to destroy Israel. The Houthis describe the attacks as trying to pressure Israel into stopping the war.

Other recent Houthi actions include an attack last month on a cargo ship carrying fertilizer, the Rubymar, which sank on Saturday after drifting for several days, and the downing of an American drone worth tens of millions of dollars.