US says the Norwegian-registered Strinda caught hearth after it was struck however no casualties had been reported.
A tanker ship travelling by the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait separating East Africa from the Arabian Peninsula off the coast of Yemen has been hit by a missile.
America Central Command (CENTCOM) stated the Strinda, a Norwegian-owned-and-operated ship, was hit at about midnight native time (21:00 GMT on Monday).
The ship “was attacked by what’s assessed to have been an Anti-Ship Cruise Missile (ASCM) launched from a Houthi-controlled space of Yemen whereas passing by the Bab-el-Mandeb”, CENTCOM stated in a press release.
The personal intelligence agency Dryad International stated the Strinda, an oil and chemical tanker, was on its means from Malaysia to the Suez Canal and had armed guards on board because it went by the strait.
The assault on the vessel comes as threats on business transport within the space amid the Israel-Hamas war escalate. Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis have carried out a collection of attacks on vessels within the Pink Sea and launched drones and missiles concentrating on Israel. In latest days, they’ve threatened to target any vessel they consider is both going to or coming from Israel.
The Houthis didn’t instantly declare accountability for the assault, though the Related Press information company reported insurgent navy spokesperson Brigadier Common Yahya Saree saying an essential announcement can be made quickly.
The UK Maritime Commerce Operations, a naval company offering safety alerts to ships, earlier reported a hearth on an unidentified vessel about 15 nautical miles (28km) off the Yemeni port of Mokha.
The coordinates correspond to the final recognized location of the Strinda, which is a part of the fleet of Bergen-based Mowinckels Rederi, in keeping with its web site. The corporate didn’t instantly reply to an emailed request for remark.
CENTCOM stated the missile assault triggered a hearth however there have been no casualties. The USS Mason had responded to the Strinda’s mayday name and was offering help, it added.
The US and France have stopped wanting saying their ships have been focused however have stated that Houthi drones have headed in direction of their ships and been shot down in self-defence.
Washington has thus far declined to straight respond to the attacks, as has Israel, whose navy continues to explain the ships as not having hyperlinks to their nation.
In November, the Houthis seized a car transport ship linked to Israel within the Pink Sea off Yemen. The rebels nonetheless maintain the vessel close to the port metropolis of Hodeidah. Individually, a container ship owned by an Israeli billionaire got here underneath assault by a suspected Iranian drone within the Indian Ocean.
A tentative ceasefire between the Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition combating on behalf of Yemen’s exiled authorities has been holding after years of combating that has created one of many world’s worst humanitarian crises.