Panama-flagged vessel targeted off Yemeni coast

ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) — A Panama-flagged commercial vessel was struck by an explosive-laden drone boat off the coast of Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Thursday, a Yemeni naval official told Xinhua.
The official said on condition of anonymity that the vessel, identified as SW North Wind I, a 15-year-old bulk carrier, was navigating the southern Red Sea when the attack occurred.
The ship sustained damage to its hull from the strike, but all crew members were unharmed, according to the official.
The attack followed a series of reported missile strikes against the same vessel on Wednesday, as it traversed from the Gulf of Aden toward the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Also on Thursday, the European Union’s Red Sea naval mission “Aspides” said the Greek-flagged oil tanker MV SOUNION, which came under attack in the Red Sea a day before and subsequently lost engine power, is now adrift and posing an environmental and navigational hazard in the region.
“Carrying 150,000 tonnes of crude oil, the MV SOUNION now represents a navigational and environmental hazard,” Aspides said.
The naval mission called on vessels in the vicinity to “exercise caution and refrain from any actions that could lead to a deterioration of the current situation.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The incidents occurred amid ongoing tension in the region. The Houthis in Yemen have been attacking “Israeli-linked” ships since November last year in what they said in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and have vowed to escalate their strikes until Israel stops its offensive against the Palestinian enclave.
In response, the United States and Britain have conducted air and naval strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen since mid-January to deter the group from interrupting international shipping lanes. However, the intervention has prompted the Houthi group to expand their targeting to include U.S. and British commercial and military vessels in both the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. ■