US military: Chinese-owned tanker hit by Houthi missile in Red Sea, 5 drones downed
CENTCOM says fire broke out aboard Huang Pu, which issued distress call but continued on journey; military reports six UAVs also launched, most intercepted and one landed in Yemen
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A Chinese-owned oil tanker was attacked off Yemen Saturday by ballistic missiles fired by Houthi rebels, who have intensified strikes on Red Sea shipping, the US military said.
The Panamanian-flagged, Chinese-owned and operated Huang Pu issued a distress call but did not request assistance, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on social media platform X early on Sunday.
“No casualties were reported, and the vessel resumed its course,” the statement said.
The Iran-backed rebels, who control much of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, have launched dozens of missile and drone strikes on shipping over the past four months, actions they say are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amid the ongoing war there launched by Israel following Hamas’s devastating October 7 attack.
CENTCOM and the British Navy’s United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a fire had broken out on board the ship but was extinguished within 30 minutes.
The Marinetraffic tracking website later had the vessel sailing out of the Red Sea into the Gulf of Aden heading for its next port of call which, according to maritime security agency Ambrey, was New Mangalore in India.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which UKMTO said struck 23 nautical miles west of the Yemeni port of Mokha.
According to U.S. Central Command, the Commecial Shipping Vessel which was Attacked today in the Red Sea off the Coast of Yemen with roughly 5 Houthi Anti-Ship Ballistic Missiles was the Panamanian-Flagged and Chinese-Owned/Operated Cargo Ship, M/V Huang Pu which was Struck by 1… pic.twitter.com/B73TC2usRU
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 24, 2024
CENTCOM said Houthi rebels had launched four anti-ship ballistic missiles in the Red Sea near the Huang Pu before a fifth hit the vessel.
“The Houthis attacked the MV Huang despite previously stating they would not attack Chinese vessels,” it said.
According to Ambrey, “the tanker’s registration details, including name and operator, had been changed as recently as February 2024.”
It had been registered in 2019 by British firm Union Maritime Ltd, Ambrey said, and another vessel affiliated with the same company had previously been targeted by the Houthis.
CENTCOM said that, following the attack on the Huang Pu, US forces engaged six drones launched by the Houthis, five of which crashed into the Red Sea.
The sixth flew into a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen, it said.
Last week Russia and China reportedly reached an agreement with the Houthis to ensure safe passage for their ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in exchange for increased political support on the global stage.
The Houthis have vowed to target Israeli, British and US ships, as well as vessels heading to Israeli ports, disrupting traffic along the vital trade route amid Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.
The United States, which leads an international coalition meant to protect Red Sea shipping, has been hitting Houthi targets in Yemen since mid-January.
The Shia Islamist Houthi group claimed at first that it was only targeting ships with ties to Israel, though ships without any apparent ties were attacked as well. It later expanded its criteria to include ships with connections to the US and UK, as the two countries have carried out a series of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in a largely unsuccessful attempt to deter the group.
The attacks on shipping have sent insurance costs spiraling for vessels transiting the Red Sea and prompted many shipping firms to take the far longer passage around the southern tip of Africa instead.
