Houthi attack kills three crew members on cargo ship in Red Sea
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Houthi fighters attacked a Tanzania-flagged cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Tuesday, killing three crew members. The fatalities mark the first deaths in a Houthi strike on shipping since U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran escalated the regional conflict in late February. The group has not yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Attack
The Tihamah was anchored 3.3 nautical miles northeast of Perim Island, Yemen, when it was struck by an unknown projectile, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and British maritime security firm Ambrey. The attack killed three crew members — two Pakistanis and one Indonesian, Yemeni coast guard sources said. The Tanzania-flagged vessel had sailed from Salalah, Oman, bound for Djibouti. After being hit, the crew lost control of the ship, and Yemeni coast guard forces subsequently approached the vessel.
Shipping Disruption
The attack is the latest disruption in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where ship traffic has already fallen sharply due to the regional conflict. Only 32 ships per day passed through the strait last week, compared with an average of 50 before the Houthis imposed a naval blockade, according to Kpler data. The Houthis had announced the blockade last month in response to what they describe as a Saudi siege of Yemen; Riyadh denies the claim. Ambrey noted that the Tihamah was not Saudi-linked, and it had departed al-Mokha on Saturday.
Casualties and Response
The three killed were the first deaths in a Houthi strike on shipping since late February, when U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran triggered a wider regional conflict. The Houthis have yet to claim the attack, and the vessel's Egyptian owner and manager, according to LSEG data, did not respond to requests for comment. Yemeni sources said the crew lost control after the impact and were approached by coast guard personnel.
What's Next
The United Nations Security Council is likely to discuss the attack at its next meeting on the Red Sea crisis. It remains unclear whether the Houthis will officially claim responsibility and how the international community will respond to the first fatal strike on shipping since February.
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Houthi attack kills three crew members on cargo ship in Red Sea
