International shipping has taken a hit after the surge in attacks by Iran backed Houthi militants on multiple targets. With the group claiming multiple attacks in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. As a result the US and UK have struck 13 Houthi targets in multiple locations.
UKMTO says ship caught fire and was evacuated after assault by Yemen's Houthis. In reference to an incident that occurred on June 13 (Thursday), 98 nautical miles east of Yemen's Aden, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) announced on Saturday that the crew of a merchant vessel had been evacuated, that the ship was on fire, and that it was sinking.
Authorities said that Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a boat-borne bomb attack on a commercial ship in the Red Sea on Wednesday, the latest escalation despite a U.S.-led campaign to protect the vital waterway.
The use of an explosive-laden boat is a reminder of the 2000 suicide attack by al-Qaida on the warship while it was in Aden port and killed 17 people on board. There is also fears in regard to the utilizing of a "drone boat," as well as drones and long range rockets.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre of the British military issued a warning to shippers that the vessel had been struck in the stern by a small white craft southwest of the Houthi-controlled port city of Hodeida. The chief "reports the vessel is leaking water, and not under order of the group," the UKMTO said. Additionally, he claims that "the vessel was hit for a second time by an unknown airborne projectile."
The U.S. military's Headquarters likewise recognized the assault, saying the Guide "most as of late docked in Russia." It went on to say that "the impact of the (drone boat) caused severe flooding and damaged the engine room."
The U.S. military independently annihilated three enemy of boat voyage rocket launchers in Houthi-held Yemen, as well as one dissident drone over the Red Ocean. Central Command reported that the Houthis did not damage any ships when they fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles into the Red Sea.
The Houthis, who held onto Yemen's capital almost 10 years prior and have been battling a Saudi-drove alliance since not long after, have been focusing on transportation all through the Red Sea over the Israel-Hamas battle in the Gaza Strip. Since November, the United States claims that the Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, killed three sailors, seized one vessel, and sunk another.
Since January, the Houthis have been the focus of an airstrike campaign led by the United States. According to the rebels, a series of strikes on May 30 killed at least 16 people and wounded 42 more.
The US continues to retaliate against these attacks, aiming for the Houthis radars and taking down their drones to prevent further damage.