Home EconomyCommerce With Ballistic Missiles, Drones: Houthi Rebels Attack Liberia-Flag Ship …In Red Sea

With Ballistic Missiles, Drones: Houthi Rebels Attack Liberia-Flag Ship …In Red Sea

by News Manager

LONDON/MONROVIA: Dramatic footage shows the moment Houthi rebels took aim at a crude oil tanker in the Red Sea before causing the hapless vessel to burst into flames.
Chios Lion, a Liberia-flagged oil tanker, was struck on its port side during the attack on Tuesday, Reuters News Agency.

The Yemen-based Houthi group has been targeting shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden over the last nine months, claiming its actions are in direct response to Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza – an assertion that has been repeatedly dismissed by the UK and its allies.

According to the rebels, their latest attack was in retaliation for an Israeli airstrike on the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis on Saturday.

An unmanned watercraft is said to have carried out the attack, though only minor damage has been reported.

The assault was part of a swarm of attacks by the Houthis on the vessel and another ship sailing around 100 nautical miles northwest of Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah.

Although there is no official statement from Monrovia but Liberia’s Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Ambassador Robert Kpadeh recently frowned on these attacks on the shipping industry, describing them as undermining global trade and commerce.
In the aftermath of the incident, officials are assessing the damage and investigating a potential oil spill, the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) said.

‘While originally headed south, following the attack the vessel turned around and back north out of the threat area to further assess damage and investigate potential oil spillage,’ the JMIC said in a statement.

It added that the captain and crew were safe. The manager of Chios Lion did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Yemen’s Houthis said they targeted Chios Lion and Bentley I with ballistic missiles, drones and booby-trapped boats.
Since November, Houthi attacks have exacted an economic toll on global trade by forcing ship owners to route vessels away from the Suez Canal shortcut and toward the longer, more expensive route around Africa.
They also pose a risk to the environment in the form of spilled cargo such as oil and fertilizer, as well as fuel used to power vessels.

The Yemen-based Houthi group has been targeting shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden over the last nine months, claiming its actions are in direct response to Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza. Pictured: Houthi supporters in May.

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