Written by
Nick Blenkey
Newest Houthi assault focused a Vietnamese owned and operated tanker
The state of affairs within the Crimson Sea will get no calmer. As we speak introduced a report from UKMTO of a Houthi assault on a service provider vessel 76 nautical miles west of Al Hudayah. Whereas UKMTO initially reported the grasp as saying that the vessel had been struck and had sustained some harm, in a subsequent replace, the grasp reported that, upon a daylight inspection, it was discovered that the vessel had sustained no harm and was continuing on its voyage.
Al Arabiya reported the Houthis as saying that they had attacked the Pacific 01.
In line with the Equasis knowledge base that ship is a 105,095 dwt Panama-flagged oil tanker, previously named Koro Sea, that since February this yr has been owned and operated by Pacific Ocean Power Transport JSC of Ho Chi Minh Metropolis, Vietnam.
Al Arabiya cites maritime threat specialist Ambrey as saying that the “vessel was listed as Israel-affiliated however had modified possession in February 2024,” including that it was headed from Singapore to the Suez Canal with armed guards onboard.
Meantime Al Jazeera reviews Houthi chief Abdul Malik al-Houthi as threatening that the group’s operations focusing on vessels will escalate to stop Israel-linked ships from passing by the Indian Ocean in direction of the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, saying:
“Our important battle is to stop ships linked to the Israeli enemy from passing by not solely the Arabian Sea, the Crimson Sea and the Gulf of Aden, but additionally the Indian Ocean in direction of the Cape of Good Hope. It is a main step and we’ve begun to implement our operations associated to it.”
Meantime, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) continues its efforts to counter the risk posed by the group.
“Between 6:50 a.m. on March 14 and 12:40 a.m. on March 15 (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs) from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen towards the Gulf of Aden and two extra ASBMs in direction of the Crimson Sea,” stated CENTCOM in a put up on X (previously Twitter). “There have been no accidents or harm reported to U.S. or coalition ships.
“Moreover, United States Central Command efficiently engaged and destroyed 9 anti-ship missiles and two unmanned aerial automobiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. It was decided these weapons introduced an imminent risk to service provider vessels and U.S. Navy ships within the area. These actions are taken to guard freedom of navigation and make worldwide waters safer and safer for U.S. Navy and service provider vessels.”
