Two crew members have apparently been killed in a missile attack by Houthi rebels on a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden. The survivors were forced to abandon ship on Wednesday, authorities said. The sailors are the first fatalities since the Houthi attacks began in the Red Sea.
The attack on the Barbados-flagged cargo ship True Confidence marks a further escalation on one of the world’s most important sea lanes, connecting Asia and the Middle East to Europe.
According to the AP news agency, the full extent of the attack and the damage is not yet known. Some of the crew managed to get to safety in lifeboats. The Greek ship caught fire about 50 nautical miles off the coast, Reuters reports.
The rebels announced heavier attacks
The Houthis say they stand in solidarity with Islamist Hamas in Gaza and are targeting cargo ships with alleged connections to Israel, the US or Britain. They had recently announced that they would intensify their attacks.
As the UKMTO, the Royal Navy body responsible for the safety of merchant shipping, announced, “True Trust” is now drifting adrift at sea. According to an earlier report, nearby ships heard a loud bang and a large cloud of smoke.
The Western coalition attacked Houthi positions
One of the most important shipping routes for world trade runs through Yemen, along which cargo ships from the Indian Ocean reach the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal in Egypt. In response to the attacks, the United States and Britain carried out several military strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen. The EU has also launched a military operation to protect merchant shipping in the Red Sea.
Source: Krone
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