Missile strikes Greek-owned ship near Yemen in latest Red Sea attack
A missile has struck a ship in the Red Sea in what is only the latest attack on vessels amid escalating missile and drone assaults launched by Houthi militants in Yemen.
The Greek-owned Malta-flagged bulk carrier vessel was reportedly targeted and impacted by the missile while transiting near Salif, on the western coast of Yemen, north of the port of Hodeidah, according to the UK maritime security company Ambrey.
It said the bulker was able to continue on its voyage and changed course to port after the attack. The signal continued to be transmitted, it added.
The ship was reported to be a dry bulk vessel, Zografia, and it sustained minor damage, maritime sources told the Reuters news agency.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which is part of the Royal Navy and advises on maritime security for merchant ships, reported that the incident occurred approximately 100 nautical miles northwest of Salif at 11.00 am UTC (12.00 pm GMT).
“Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO,” the organisation said on X.
UKMTO also reported a suspicious approach at 12.00 pm around 60 nautical miles north of Assab, a port city in the Southern Red Sea.
The Houthis, who began to hit commercial vessels in the Red Sea in October, are a Zaidi Shiite political and military organisation which has been fighting Yemen’s Sunni-majority government since 2004.
They originated in the 1990s as an opposition movement to Yemen’s then-president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, whom their leader, Hussein al-Houthi, accused of corruption and criticised for being back Saudi Arabia and the US.
This story is being updated as we learn more.
