WASHINGTON: A missile fired by Houthi rebels hit a bulk carrier in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, with the crew reporting at least two dead and six wounded, a US official said.

The missile caused “significant damage” to the Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned M/V True Confidence, the official said, adding that its “crew reports at least two fatalities and six injured crewmembers and have abandoned the ship.”

Yemen’s Houthis issued a statement claiming responsibility.A number of ships have been damaged in such strikes. Four days ago, the Rubymar, a UK-owned bulk carrier, became the first ship to sink as a result of a Houthi attack, after floating for two weeks with severe damage from a missile strike. All crew were safely evacuated from that vessel.

Earlier reports said four mariners were severely burned and three missing after a missile hit a cargo ship off Yemen, a shipping source said, the first report of serious injuries since Houthi movement began attacking shipping in one of the world’s busiest waterways last year.

The Greek operator of the True Confidence said the vessel was struck about 50 nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni port of Aden and was drifting and ablaze.

They said no information was available about the status of 20 crew and three armed guards on board, who included 15 Filipinos, four Vietnamese, two Sri Lankans, an Indian and a Nepali national.

It was the fifth anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Iran-backed Houthis in two days, the official said, noting that two — including the latest — hit merchant vessels and a third was shot down by an American destroyer.

The Houthis began attacking Red Sea shipping in November, saying they were hitting Israel-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. US and UK forces responded with strikes against the Houthis, who have since declared American and British interests to be legitimate targets as well.

The shipping source, who declined to be identified, said the Barbados-flagged vessel appeared to have been abandoned, with three people missing and four badly burned.

A US defence official said smoke was seen coming from the True Confidence. The official, who also declined to be identified, said a lifeboat had been seen in the water near the ship.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said it had received a report of an incident 54 nautical miles southwest of Aden, which lies near the entrance to the Red Sea, adding that the vessel had been abandoned by the crew and was “no longer under command”. “Coalition forces are supporting the vessel and the crew,” UKMTO said.

The United States and Britain have launched retaliatory strikes against the Houthis intended to protect shipping, and severe injuries or fatalities among merchant crew could lead to calls for stronger action.

The Houthi attacks have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa. The cost of insuring a seven-day voyage through the Red Sea has risen by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

While the militia has said it would attack vessels with links to the United Kingdom, the United States and Israel, shipping industry sources say all ships could be at risk.

The True Confidence is owned by the Liberian-registered company True Confidence Shipping and operated by the Greece-based Third January Maritime, both firms said in their joint statement. They said the ship had no link to the United States.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2024