The Houthis of Yemen claimed on Saturday that they had attacked the Andromeda Star oil tanker in the Red Sea with their missiles. They are targeting commercial ships in the region to demonstrate their support for the Palestinians who are battling Israel in the Gaza conflict.
The British maritime security company Ambrey said that the ship’s master reported damage to the craft.
Yahya Sarea, a spokesman for Houthi, claimed that the ship flying the Panamanian flag was owned by the British, but Ambrey and LSEG data indicate that it was recently sold.
Its current owner is Seychelles-registered. The tanker is engaged in Russia-linked trade. It was en route from Primorsk, Russia, to Vadinar, India, Ambrey said.
Iran-aligned Houthi militants have launched repeated drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait and Gulf of Aden since November, forcing shippers to re-route cargo to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa and stoking fears the Israel-Hamas war could spread and destabilize the Middle East.
The Houthis’ campaign, which targets ships with ties to Israel, the US, and Britain, was temporarily halted prior to the attack on the Andromeda Star.
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier helped a coalition led by the United States safeguard commercial shipping before leaving the Red Sea on Friday via the Suez Canal.
On Friday, the Houthis claimed to have shot down an American MQ-9 drone in the Saada province of Yemen.
Read More
Avatara Mumbai: A Culinary Adventure with Chef Rakesh Rana
