Oil tanker reports double attack off Yemen, crew safe
Two small craft that fired a rocket-propelled grenade which exploded near Delta Blue vessel, then targeted by a missile amid continued Houthi strikes on shipping
The captain of the Delta Blue crude oil tanker reported a double attack on the vessel off Yemen, with its crew reported safe, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said in an advisory note on Thursday.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the incident, but Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have been attacking ships in the busy Red Sea corridor since November, a month after the war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’s October 7 thousands-strong assault on southern Israel that saw nearly 1,200 people killed and 251 taken hostage.
The first attack on Thursday was carried out by two small craft that fired a rocket-propelled grenade which exploded near Delta Blue, 45 nautical miles south of Yemen’s Mokha, UKMTO said.
Hours later, another missile exploded in close proximity to the tanker, UKMTO said.
The Liberia-flagged Delta Blue and its crew were safe, and the ship was proceeding to its next port of call, UKMTO said.
Athens-based Delta Tankers manages the vessel, according to LSEG data. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
UKMTO WARNING INCIDENT 106 ATTACK UPDATE 002 https://t.co/auxAKdReZU#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/4GsdoeRpdn
— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) August 9, 2024
The two small boats, white and black in color, each had four people on board who were wearing what the agency said were white and yellow raincoats.
The Houthis have targeted more than 70 vessels by firing missiles and drones in their campaign, which has killed four sailors. The rebels have seized one vessel and sunk two since November.
US-led airstrikes have targeted the Houthis since January, with a series of strikes on May 30 killing at least 16 people and wounding 42 others, the rebels say.
The Houthis maintain that their attacks target ships linked to Israel, the United States or Britain as part of the rebels’ support for the Hamas terror group in its war against Israel. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the war — including some bound for Iran, which backs the Houthis.
The attacks have upended global trade by forcing ship owners to reroute vessels away from the Suez Canal.
