Commercial oil tanker struck by missile in Red Sea, Houthis suspected

• An oil tanker was struck by a suspected missile in Red Sea.
• No crew injuries were reported.
• The attack comes amid heightened threats against shipping in the region.

The ship “was attacked by what is assessed to have been an Anti-Ship Cruise Missile (ASCM) launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen while passing through the Bab-el-Mandeb”, CENTCOM said in a statement.

On its website, the shipping company Mowinckels Rederi, located in Bergen, states that the oil and chemical tanker Strinda is a part of its fleet and was en route to Italy.

The ship was “hit by a missile,” according to chief executive Geir Belsnes, who also acknowledged that it had caught fire.

“Fortunately, there were no injuries to any member of the crew, who managed to extinguish the fire,” Belsnes told Al Jazeera in an email. “Our focus has been, and remains, the safety and well-being of the seafarers onboard.”

The ship was now “proceeding to a safe port,” he continued.

The assault on the ship occurs as threats against local commercial vessels in the context of the Israel-Hamas conflict intensify. The Houthis of Yemen, who receive support from Iran, have attacked ships in the Red Sea multiple times and fired missiles and drones at Israel. They have threatened to destroy any vessel they think is headed toward or coming from Israel in recent days.

Although Brigadier General Yahya Saree, a spokesman for the rebel military, told the Associated Press that a significant statement will be made shortly, the Houthis did not immediately take credit for the attack.

An earlier report of a fire on an unnamed vessel approximately 15 nautical miles (28 km) outside the Yemeni port of Mokha was made by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a naval body that provides security alerts to ships.

According to the website of Mowinckels Rederi, a company situated in Bergen, the coordinates match the Strinda’s final known location. An email requesting comment was not immediately answered by the corporation.

The USS Mason answered the Strinda’s mayday call and offered support, according to CENTCOM.

Though they haven’t explicitly stated that their ships had been targeted, the US and France have stated that Houthi drones were approaching their ships when they were shot down in self-defense.

Both Israel and Washington have so far refrained from immediately responding to the strikes; Israel’s military maintains that the ships have no connection to their nation.

In the Red Sea off Yemen in November, the Houthis took control of a vehicle transport ship that was connected to Israel. The ship is still under rebel control close to Hodeidah port. Separately, a suspected Iranian drone attacked a container ship in the Indian Ocean that belonged to an Israeli millionaire.

After years of conflict that resulted in one of the greatest humanitarian catastrophes in history, the Houthis and a coalition led by Saudi Arabia that was fighting on behalf of Yemen’s exiled government have been maintaining a shaky ceasefire.

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